CATHEDRAL CITY – The UCSB softball team split its final two games at the Cathedral City Classic on Sunday. The Gauchos (9-5) defeated Utah (6-11), 4-2, but fell to Loyola Marymount (6-8), 9-4, in the tournament finale.
UCSB posted a 3-3 record at this weekend’s tournament. Prior to Sunday, the Gauchos defeated Long Island and Ohio State and dropped games to No. 19 Oklahoma State and No. 8 Tennessee.
Against Utah, UCSB came from behind to defeat the Utes, who got off to a 2-0 lead at the top of the second. Katie McWhirter hit a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to tie the game.
At the bottom of the sixth, Jessica Beristianos led off with a single and an error allowed Keilani Jennings to get on base. Allison Taylor provided the heroics as she drove in both runners with an RBI single and gave the Gauchos the 4-2 lead.
Krista Cobb tossed five shutout innings in relief to capture the win. She struck out two in the effort.
UCSB fell into an early deficit against Loyola Marymount, but was unable to duplicate its earlier comeback. The Lions scored two in the first inning and tacked on two more runs before the Gauchos cut the lead to 4-2. LMU put together a big sixth inning on its way to the 9-4 win.
Cobb was once again the pitcher of record. She now stands at 3-2 on the season.
At the plate, freshmen McKenzie Kane and Lauren Boser both had strong outings, going 3-for-4. Boser had two doubles in the loss.
The Gauchos will be back in action next weekend at the DeMarini Invitational in Fullerton, Calif. UCSB will take on Oregon State, IPFW, Stanford and Southern Miss at the tournament that runs Mar. 4-6.
