FRESNO, Calif. – On the second day of the Fresno State Kick-Off, UC Santa Barbara (5-2) defeated CSU Bakersfield (2-8) by a score of 6-0. The victory makes it the Gauchos, third straight over the Roadrunners after they defeated them in the opener of the Fresno State Kick-Off and earlier in the season in the Gaucho Classic I.
Shelby Wisdom (3-1) has been a big part of the Gaucho’s success over the Roadrunners this season. She pitched a complete game to pick up her third victory of the year, all of them coming against CSU Bakersfield. Wisdom allowed only five hits and one walk, while striking out two to complete the shutout.
With Wisdom dominating in the circle, the Gaucho’s bats came alive to provide the run support. Arianna Palomares tallied three hits and freshman Stacey Cavazos hit her second home-run of the season to lead the offensive attack for UCSB. Six different runners crossed home plate in the winning effort.
UCSB threatened right from the start when Palomares singled to center with one out in the bottom of the first inning. MeShalon Moore followed with a single of her own to center and a walk to Wisdom loaded the bases. However, a pop-up by Lauren Boser and a grounder to third by Jessica Reichner ended the rally.
The Gauchos picked up right where they left off in the bottom of the second inning with a leadoff single by Kathryn Pilpil. A sacrifice bunt by Emily Brucelas moved Pilpil into scoring position and set the stage for Cavazos. On a 1-2 count, Cavazos drilled a shot to center field for a home-run to give UCSB the lead 2-0.
The Gauchos weren’t done there. In the bottom of the third they picked up two more runs on RBI singles by Pilpil and Brucelas to make it a 4-0 UCSB lead.
Wisdom continued to mow down the Roadrunners setting down ten straight batters through the fourth and seventh innings.
In the bottom of the fourth, Boser lined a double to left field to score Moore who reached on a walk. Adding yet another insurance run, it was Boser again in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly to bring in Rachel Clark and bringing the score to its final of 6-0. Boser finished 1-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI’s to give her a team-high six on the season.
Game 2
Andrianna Collins allowed just 1 hit as she paced UC Santa Barbara to their second shutout of the day by beating Southern Utah(1-6) by a final score of 4-0. The win moves the Gauchos to 6-2 on the season and 4-0 in the Fresno State Kick-Off Classic.
Collins(1-1) was dominant in the circle, allowing just her first base runner in the third inning with a walk and the first hit of the game for the Thunderbirds in the sixth. Collins finished the complete game shutout with 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 1 hit, facing just two batters over the minimum.
The UCSB offensive attack struck first in the second inning, as Emily Brucelas followed Kathryn Pilpil’s single with a triple to drive in a run. Jessica Reichner would then single to tack on another run and bring the Gauchos’ lead to 2-0.
In the third, Santa Barbara was able to cash in on a Southern Utah error when Shelby Wisdom grounded out to second to score Arianna Palomares. Palomares had reached after a fielder’s choice retired Kristen Clark.
Not that Collins needed it, but her Gaucho batters provided her with some insurance in the top of the seventh. A pair of singles and an error by the Thunderbirds pitcher allowed UCSB to bring the lead to 4-0.
The primary story of the game was Collins’ performance, as she cruised through Southern Utah’s lineup all day long. Not only did she allow only two base runners, but neither even reached second base. It was not the only shutout of the day however, as Shelby Wisdom completed one of her own in the first game of the day against CSU Bakersfield.
Offensively, three Gauchos led the way with their bats. Brucelas and Pilpil each had 2 hits while Palomares collected 3 of her own, keeping the pressure on the Thunderbirds the entire game.
The Gauchos return to action tomorrow against Fresno State at 3:45pm to wrap up the Fresno State Kick-Off Classic.
