UCSB's Brandon Trinkwon strokes a double to left-center and picks up an RBI in tthe bottom of the sixth inning.
A packed house that left standing room only at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium saw the UC Santa Barbara baseball team go toe-to-toe with No. 23 Oregon State on Friday afternoon in the inaugural game for new UCSB head coach Andrew Checketts, but it was two costly errors that allowed the Beavers to top the Gauchos, 7-3.
A throwing error in the fourth inning by shortstop Steven Moon opened the doors for OSU and then a throwing error by reliever Jared Wilson in the eighth gave the Beavers a little more breathing room as UCSB pitchers were only touched for two earned runs.
Senior right-hander Matt Vedo escaped a bases-loaded nobody-out jam in the first inning and retired 10 of the next 11 batters, but with one out in the fourth Moon let a throw sail on a routine grounder to give OSU some life. Vedo then walked the next two batters to load the bases and No. 9 hitter John Tommasini lined a two-run double to left-center field to open the scoring.
After another walk and a hit batter brought a run in, cleanup hitter Jake Rodriguez hit a two-run single to give the Beavers a 5-0 lead.
Vedo pitched into the fifth and struck out eight hitters, but it was six walks a hit batter and two wild pitches that really undid his 2012 debut.
The Gauchos got a run back in the fifth when Joey Wallace laid down a bunt single to score Ryan Palermo and then consecutive doubles by Lance Roenicke and Brandon Trinkwon in the sixth plated another run. Joe Winterburn’s base hit scored Trinkwon moments later and made it 5-3.
Solid relief pitching from Zak Edgington kept OSU at bay, but on a sacrifice bunt attempt with two on in the eighth Jared Wilson skipped a throw past second baseman Peter Maris at first base, bringing in two more Beavers.
Palermo and Roenicke each had two hits for UCSB and Brett Vertigan, in his Gaucho debut, reached base three times.
