Junior utility man Robby Nesovic broke a 1-1 deadlock with a walk-off single while contributing three hitless innings of relief to lead the No. 13 UCSB baseball team to 2-1 win over Texas-Arlington in 11 innings on Saturday afternoon.
UCSB’s offense erupted against Dartmouth for a 17-2 win to sweep the split doubleheader at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The pair of wins improved UCSB’s record to 16-5 on the year. UTA moved to 11-9 with its loss while struggling Dartmouth dropped to 1-12.
Senior outfielder Scott Quinlan and sophomore catcher Paddy O’Brien were the driving factors in the nightcap. Quinlan went 4-for-6, scored three times and hit his first home run of the year. O’Brien clubbed his first Division I roundtripper en route to a team-high five RBI.
Sophomore center fielder Andrew Calica had four hits across the two games, three doubles and one triple. Senior second baseman Woody Woodward also collected four hits on the day before being lifted for a substitute early in the second game.
The Gauchos will close their weekend ledger with a second contest against Dartmouth at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Junior lefty Justin Jacome shut down the UTA bats in the opener. UCSB’s starting pitcher allowed just one earned run while scattering eight hits over eight full innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.
Despite allowing one earned run or less for the fourth time in his six starts, Jacome didn’t receive a decision in the contest as he gave up his one run in the eighth to tie the game at 1-1.
That inning actually could have been much worse for UCSB, but Jacome did a great job of pitching out of a jam as the Mavericks had loaded the bases with nobody out on three straight singles.
Facing that treacherous scenario, Jacome retired three consecutive batters to end the inning with minimal damage. The Mavericks got their one run on a sacrifice line-drive out to right field.
Nesovic turned out to be UCSB’s superman in the game, driving in both runs and then closing down the game with three innings of flawless relief.
UCSB received contributions from up and down the lineup en route to a 17-2 win over Dartmouth in the second half of the twin bill.
That is the second-largest run output by the Gauchos in the Andrew Checketts era and the most since they scored 18 against Princeton on Mar. 2, 2014.
The Gauchos’ 25 hits were in fact a record under Checketts, as their previous best was 19 against San Jose State on Feb. 23, 2014. It was the first time UCSB broke to 20-hit plateau since 2010 (Feb. 10 against Westmont).
By the end of day, 13 of the 14 Gauchos to step to the plate – pinch-hitters included – recorded at least one hit.
Making his first ever start at the Division I level, O’Brien fired the first salvo against the Big Green by launching a three-run shot into the left field netting in the second inning.
The Santa Barbara City College transfer would reach base three more times and drive in two more runs as well as part of his career day.
Fisher and Calica hit run-scoring doubles into left field as part of the third inning rally, with JD Hearn, Nesovic, and Kyle Plantier also pitching in RBI base hits.
Quinlan saved the best for last in his career-best four-hit day, driving an opposite field shot into the trees beyond right field in the eighth inning for his second roundtripper in a Gaucho uniform. The blast scored freshman infielder Austin Bush, who had just missed an opposite field homer by mere inches.
Left fielder Cameron Newell added three base hits in the rout.
UCSB starting pitcher Domenic Mazza (2-0) did his job managing the big lead, as he allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out six in six full innings.
