The UC Santa Barbara baseball team had its opportunities vs. UC Riverside right-hander Eddie Orozco on Saturday, but were never able to break through against one of the Big West’s best pitchers.
The Gauchos had runners on in every one of Orozco’s seven innings, but the senior limited the damage in the Highlanders’ 4-1 win at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
Orozco allowed eight hits and walked four others, but he struck out eight batters in lowering his earned run average to 1.56 through his seven innings of work. UCR (8-12 overall, 1-1 in the Big West) prevented the Gauchos (13-12, 1-1) from winning the series after UCSB won Friday’s opener. The two teams finish off the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
After Joey Wallace walked and then stole both second and third and scored on Steven Moon’s bloop single to center in the second, Orozco didn’t allow a Gaucho runner past second base the rest of the way.
On the other side freshman Austin Pettibone was roughed up for nine hits and four runs (three earned) in his 4.2 innings of work. Pettibone did strike out five batters.
UCR scored twice in the second and twice in the third and that was all the Highlanders needed with Orozco on the hill.
Brandon Trinkwon had four of the Gauchos’ eight hits as he was 4-for-4. Matt Vedo, who relieved Pettibone, had eight strikeouts in his 4.1 innings of relief work, allowing just two hits.
UCSB finishes its series vs. UC Riverside onand Sunday with the game starting at 1 p.m.
