AUSTIN, Tex. — Parker French held UCSB to one run and five hits over eight innings for Texas, and the Longhorns scored three runs in the fourth inning to defeat the Gauchos, 5-1, Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The loss brought a halt to UCSB’s four-game winning streak. The Gauchos are now 8-5. Conversely, the Longhorns snapped a four-game losing streak and improved their record to 8-5.
UCSB starting pitcher Austin Pettibone had yet another solid start, pitching into the seventh inning and allowing four earned runs with four strikeouts and three walks. Pettibone was especially impressive early in the game, allowing just one hit — a single — over the first three innings of the game.
However, the Longhorns offense was much more potent the second time through against Pettibone, getting four straight hits to start the fourth frame. The most damaging hit was a two-run triple by Mark Payton down the right field line. Payton would score on a C.J. Hinojosa single. Pettibone would escape further damage by getting three straight groundouts to end the inning.
The Longhorns would tack on another run against Pettibone in the sixth when they started the inning with three consecutive singles. After a strikeout with the bases loaded, the Gauchos escaped the jam by pulling off a 9-4-2-3-6 double play when the Longhorn runners at first and second base didn’t see that Jacob Felts had been held up at third base on a Weston Hall single. Tyler Kuresa tagged out Hall at first then quickly fired to Brandon Trinkwon at second, who applied the tag on Codey McElroy to end the inning.
Pettibone ended up with his first loss of the season.
French limited the Gauchos offense to just five hits over his eight innings of work, utilizing a tricky sinker that produced 18 groundouts. With the win, French’s record improved to 3-1.
Junior catcher Jackson Morrow, who went 2-4 on the day, was the only Gaucho to get multiple hits off French.
Sophomore second baseman Woody Woodward continued his hot-hitting ways with a sixth-inning double just inside the left field foul line. Woodward would advance to third on a Trinkwon groundout and then score on a wild pitch for the Gauchos only run.
Sophomore first baseman Tyler Kuresa capped off his 2-4 day with a ninth-inning double.
The series will continue Saturday with UCSB’s freshman lefty Justin Jacome opposing Texas’ Dillon Peters. First pitch is set for noon Pacific time.
