It took UCSB (5-0) just five innings to defeat Seattle University (0-5) in the final game of the Gaucho Classic I on Sunday at Campus Diamond. The Gauchos posted a 10-0 mercy-rule victory over the Redhawks to keep their 2011 record unblemished.
This marks the first time since 2003 that the program has posted five-straight wins to open the season. The team’s current six-game win streak – which dates back to the 2010 season finale at UC Davis – is the longest since UCSB posted eight straight wins (Mar. 26 thru April 6) in 2008, head coach Brie Galicinao’s first season at the helm of the program.
Freshman pitcher Andriana Collins (3-0) earned the victory after tossing five scoreless innings. She allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out five of the 21 batters she faced.
At the plate, all but one of the Gauchos tallied a hit and five players had multiple hits. Freshman McKenzie Kane was 3-for-4 with two runs while sophomore Kelly McDonald went 3-for-3 with two RBI, a double and a run scored.
After a scoreless first inning, UCSB exploded for seven runs in the second. Freshman Lauren Boser got the ball rolling with a double hit to deep right center field and McDonald sent her home with a double to deep left field that fell just inside of the foul pole. Junior Allison Taylor followed with an RBI double hit to deep left center field, just over the head of the Seattle left fielder.
Junior Lainey DePompa laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Taylor to third and junior Brooke Putich sent her home with a base hit to right field.
Trailing 3-0 with just one out, Seattle quickly made a pitching change, replacing Jessica Ulrich with Kelli Demianew. The substitution, however, did not halt the Gaucho onslaught.
Putich immediately stole second before Kane hit a blooper just over the Seattle shortstop’s head. Freshman Kathryn Pilpil was up next and hit the ball to Demianew. The pitcher overthrew the ball while trying to cut off Putich on her way to third, allowing Pilpil to reach first on the fielder’s choice, Kane to advance to second, and Putich to cross home plate.
Senior Jessica Beristianos was next up and her sacrifice fly to left field sent Kane home. Sophomore Keilani Jennings brought Pilpil home with an RBI single to center field and was then batted over to second when Boser posted her second hit of the inning – a single straight up the middle of the field. A second hit from McDonald to shallow left field allowed Jennings to score, giving the Gauchos the 7-0 advantage.
At the bottom of the third, Kane hit a two-out infield single and on the play, Seattle third baseman Hannah Klein overthrew the ball to first. Kane displayed her speed as she quickly made her way to third on the error. Pilpil drove her classmate home with a single that was hit just over the shortstop to stretch the UCSB lead to eight.
During the next inning, Jennings led things off with a hard hit single to shortstop. One out later, McDonald’s fly ball to left centerfield landed right in between the Redhawk shortstop, left fielder and center fielder, allowing the sophomore to get on base. An infield single by Taylor loaded the bases before Kendall Gill hit an RBI single to left field. Jennings came home on the play, but Seattle was able to get the second out by beating McDonald on her way to home plate. A single to center field by Putich during the next at-bat drove Taylor home, bringing the Gauchos’ tally to 10-0.
UCSB will be back in action next weekend at the San Diego Classic I being hosted by the University of San Diego on Feb. 18-20. The Gauchos are slated to face Howard, Sacramento State, Cal, Northwestern and San Diego at the tournament
yeah UCSB!