SACRAMENTO – Junior right-handed pitcher Dillon Tate threw seven scoreless innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters to lead No. 18 UC Santa Barbara to a 2-0 shutout of Sacramento State in Friday’s series opener at John Smith Field.
Both starting pitchers flourished in the contest, as Hornets Preseason All-American righty Brennan Leitao went five strong while allowing just two runs on six hits. The bullpens for both teams were even better, combining to allow just one hit and no runs over six innings.
It was the third straight win for UCSB, which improved to 10-3 on the day. Tate picked up the win to move to 3-1. Sacramento State lost its fourth straight to fall to 6-5.
Though UC Santa Barbara didn’t produce many scoring opportunities, they did create the only one that mattered, as they scored the only two runs of the game in the fifth.
Senior third baseman Peter Maris got things going with a one-out single into right field, moving to second when freshman shortstop Clay Fisher was hit by a pitch on the next play. Sophomore centerfielder Andrew Calica drove in the game-winning run on the very next play off Leitao, ripping a single through the right side. Back-to-back walks following that RBI knock pushed Fisher across for the 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Tate scattered just five hits over his seven innings, though he did have to pitch out of a pair of jams.
In the fourth, a one-out walk turned into a dangerous situation when Hornets DH and cleanup hitter Chris Lewis pulled a double down the left field line, putting runners on second and third. Tate responded with a clutch strikeout of Vinny Esposito before coaxing a routine groundout from Scotty Burcham.
Then in the seventh, Tate faced possibly his most harrowing scenario yet this season, with the Hornets loading the bases with no outs off a single, a walk, and another single, a line drive that deflected off the UCSB pitcher that couldn’t be recovered in time. Despite the outlook, Tate buckled down and delivered one of his signature half-innings of the season, delivering swinging strikeouts of the next three batters to keep Sac St off the board. Of those final three batters, only one recorded a ball during their at-bat.
Tate becomes the second UCSB pitcher in the past seven days to reach the 10+ strikeout plateau, joining Justin Jacome as first-timers in the double-digit club.
Junior closer James Carter delivered a perfect 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his fifth save of the season, giving him 9.2 innings this season without an earned run. Pending the results of other contests in the country, he could move to as high as a tie for third in total saves in the NCAA.
Maris was the only Gaucho with multiple hits on Friday, going 2-4 with a run scored. Luke Swenson went 1-4, giving him hits in 11 straight starts and six games overall.
The Gauchos will go for the series win tomorrow behind the right arm of Shane Bieber (2-1, 2.14 ERA). He will be opposed by Hornets southpaw Sam Long (2-0, 1.54 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
