UCSB captured a pair of 4-1 wins over visiting South Dakota during a rare Monday non-conference doubleheader at Campus Diamond.
With the wins, UCSB improves to 15-18 on the season and matches its total wins from the 2010 campaign with 20 games still left on the slate. South Dakota drops to 12-23 overall.
The Gauchos scored first in game one and never relinquished the lead. In the bottom of the third, Allison Taylor hit a two-out double to the right center field warning track sending Kathryn Pilpil home. During the following at-bat Keilani Jennings pushed the Gaucho lead to 2-0 with an RBI double hit to the far right corner of the outfield.
In the fifth, Taylor hit her second RBI double of the game to center field to score McKenzie Kane and push the Gaucho advantage to three. The lead became four when the Brooke Putich reached first and scored on a pair of Coyote errors in the sixth inning.
South Dakota prevented the shutout at the top of the seventh when Kate Snow hit a RBI double to center field bringing Kassie Loe home for the Coyote’s lone run of the game.
Freshman Andriana Collins (9-9) picked up the win after tossing the complete game and striking out a season-high nine batters. She allowed just one run on five hits while walking two.
At the plate, Taylor was dominant with her two doubles, two RBI and run scored. Kane, meanwhile, went 3-for-4 with a run.
Coming off the game one win, the Gauchos’ focus seemed to have faltered a bit as they committed two consecutive fielding errors to open game two. With one out and runners on the corners, Mel Johnson hit a single to left center field driving Lindsey Boyd home and giving South Dakota its first lead of the day.
In the third it looked as if the Coyotes were going to do some more damage as they loaded the bases on consecutive singles and a walk with no outs. Junior pitcher Krista Cobb remained calm and earned the first out with a strike out. The Gauchos were able to get the next two outs at home after South Dakota hit into consecutive fielder’s choices to end the inning.
UCSB translated its defensive momentum onto the other side of the ball at the bottom of the same inning. Lainey DePompa led off with a single hit just out of the reach of South Dakota pitcher Erica Denney. Brooke Putich was then able to move pinch runner Kelly McDonald with a bunt while also beating out the throw to first to put two runners on with no outs. Pilpil followed with the game-winning triple hit to left center field, which put the Gauchos ahead, 2-1. One out later, Taylor grounded out to second base giving Pilpil ample time to score and push the UCSB lead to two runs.
In the sixth, DePompa hit a sacrifice fly to right field sending Lauren Boser home for the Gauchos’ fourth run.
Cobb (6-9) grabbed the win after pitching the complete game and allowing just one unearned run. She walked three and struck out five in the victory. Offensively, DePompa led the way going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
The Gauchos will resume Big West Conference action this weekend when they travel to Cal Poly for a three game series, which will begin with a noon doubleheader on Saturday.
