UC Santa Barbara split a doubleheader to open their three-game, Big West Conference-opening series with Cal Poly at Campus Diamond on Saturday afternoon.
The Gauchos lost 14-1 in the first game before a 2-0 victory in the second game.
Highlighted by her game-two shutout, Shelby Wisdom (10-11) was credited with a loss and a win, respectively. UCSB improves to 22-16 overall and 2-3 in conference, while the Mustangs stand at 21-13 with a 3-2 conference mark.
After Cal Poly ran away with a 14-1 win in game-one, the Gauchos answered back in the second round by blanking the Mustangs 2-0.
In their first game of a three game weekend series against Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara could not quiet the Mustang bats and were unable to provide much of an offensive attack in a 14-1 defeat. The game was the first of a doubleheader for the day.
Gauchos star pitcher Shelby Wisdom battled but faced an onslaught of hits from Cal Poly, leading to her exit in the fifth inning.
After falling behind by five after three and a half innings, UCSB looked to begin a comeback. After Lauren Boser reached first with one out in the bottom of the fourth, DeJanee Moore smacked a double to left center, driving in what ended up the lone Gauchos run of the game. With Moore on second and a chance to decrease the deficit, Emily Brucelas popped out and Jenessa Jeppesen grounded out to second to end the effort.
Down 7-1 in the fifth inning, UCSB was able to load the bases with a Stacy Cavazos single, a double by Wisdom, and a pitch that hit MeShalon Moore. Unfortunately, Boser went down swinging for the third out.
In the top of the seventh, the Mustangs added on their final six runs of the game, pushing the lead far out of the reach of any potential comeback.
Shelby Wisdom shook off her game one performance with a shutout in facing the Mustangs the second time around. Behind the pitcher’s complete game effort, UCSB easily took the 2-0 win to even the series.
Kristen Clark led all hitters with three hits, while Emily Brucelas and Jessica Tetzlaff recorded the Gauchos’ two RBI.
While, Wisdom fanned two batters to open the game in retiring the Mustangs through four batters, she received some timely defensive plays from her fielders in the following two innings.
In the second, DeJanee Moore laid out for a diving grab in right field to prevent the runner on first from advancing into scoring position.
Later in the third, Cal Poly loaded the bases with a walk and back-to-back singles with only one out. Sierra Hyland then came into the game as a pinch hitter to put her team on the board, but Moore made another spectacular play as she made a bolting sprint to catch a foul ball in foul territory for the second out. During the next at bat, Wisdom got the Gauchos out of the jam in forcing a groundout to Emily Brucelas at shortstop.
While UCSB was performing well in the field, they would eventually find the scoreboard in the fourth inning.
Facing one out, the Gauchos loaded the bases for Brucelas who drew a work to nab the game’s first run. Following her, Tetzlaff drilled a single up the middle to advance everyone up one base, putting UCSB ahead 2-0.
With the lead in hand, UCSB coasted through the final three innings, as Wisdom limited the Mustangs to just one more hit, a single. In the sixth and seventh, the senior forced Cal Poly into consecutive three up, three down innings.
The Gauchos will play the Mustangs in the series rubber game tomorrow at noon at Campus Diamond.
