NORTHRIDGE – UC Santa Barbara took care of business for the third straight game against Cal State Northridge, defeating the Matadors 6-2 on Sunday afternoon at Matador Diamond. The Gauchos improve their overall record to 26-16 and 6-3 in conference play.
After a tough stretch where UCSB lost six straight games, the Gauchos have turned it around at the right time winning five straight games. Shelby Wisdom (14-11) has been instrumental during that stretch and she picked up yet another victory after tossing a complete game against the Matadors. Wisdom only allowed two earned runs, scattered seven hits and notched two strikeouts in the game.
At the plate, the Gauchos used two big offensive innings to propel themselves ahead of the Matadors. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning, Kathryn Pilpil led off with an infield single to second base. Emily Brucelas followed with a single to left and a pass ball allowed both runners to advance into scoring position. After two fly ball outs, Stacy Cavazos hit another fly ball, however this one cleared the fence for a three-run home run to give UCSB a 3-2 lead. For Cavazos the homer is her fifth of the season to tie Wisdom for team-high honors.
Holding on to a 3-2 lead heading in to the top of the seventh, UCSB added three more to seal the victory. Shelby Wisdom got the hits going with a one-out single up the middle. The Matadors were able to strikeout MeShalon Moore to get their second out in the inning. Lauren Boser and Emily Brucelas would not let the inning end that easily as they doubled and singled, respectively to score two and take a 5-2 lead. An infield error on a ball hit by Samantha Stark allowed for another Gaucho run to score and give them a 6-2 advantage.
Kristen Clark was 2-for-4 at the plate and Dejanee Moore went 1-for-3 with a double as UCSB collected 12 hits in the series finale.
Next up for the Gauchos is a road trip to face UC Davis starting with a doubleheader Friday, Apr. 18 at 1:00 p.m.
