HONOLULU, Hawai’i – The Gauchos’ offense broke through on Sunday afternoon, scoring 10 runs in a 10-4 victory over Hawai’i to split the four-game series. Unfortunately for the Gauchos, the get-away game of the series was a non-conference affair, so their Big West record will remain at 1-2 while their overall record improves to 14-12. Hawai’i fell to 7-18 overall while remaining at 2-1 in conference play.
As was the case in each game of the series, the Gauchos were the first ones to get on the board. In the top of the third inning, Rainbows starter Scott Squier plunked the first two batters of the inning. UCSB junior shortstop Brandon Trinkwon then made Squier pay for his lack of control by belting a his second homer of the season, a three-run shot to right field.
However, the Gaucho offense went dormant over the middle portion of the game, collecting no hits after the Trinkwon home run until the eighth inning.
In the meantime, the Rainbows were able to parlay a three-hit rally into a four-run fifth inning that knocked UCSB starter Robby Nesovic out of the game. Nesovic escaped with a no-decision, allowing four runs on six hits over 4+ innings pitched with a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Freshman southpaw Domenic Mazza did an admirable job in relief, coming in with the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth and getting a double play and flyout to escape the jam.
Mazza would stay in and pitch the sixth and seventh innings as well, allowing just one hit in the process. He was rewarded with his first career win for his effort.
The Gauchos would reclaim the lead in the eighth inning, as Dalton Kelly had a pinch-hit RBI triple before scoring himself on a single from Ryan Clark. UCSB would then go on to add five insurance runs in the ninth, with two runs apiece scoring on a Cameron Newell double and Kelly single. With two hits, Kelly finished the Hawai’i series with three multi-hit games. His three RBIs on Sunday were also a career high.
Joining Kelly in the multi-RBI department were Trinkwon, who finished 2-5 with three RBIs, and Newell, who went 3-5 with a pair of RBIs.
With an RBI fielder’s choice in the ninth, Peter Maris has now driven in a run in four straight.
Freshman righties Dylan Hecht and Connor Baits threw scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, with Hecht striking out the side with 23 pitches.
This upcoming week, the Gauchos will face Pepperdine in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday afternoon before taking on Cal Poly in a three-game conference series.
