LOS ANGELES – Junior lefty Domenic Mazza tossed seven innings of shutout ball while senior second baseman Peter Maris and freshman infielder Kyle Plantier drilled decisive back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth inning of a 2-1 win for No. 11 UC Santa Barbara over eighth-ranked USC in a top-15 matchup televised by the Pac-12 Network Tuesday night at Dedeaux Field.
The start of the game, originally scheduled for 6:00 p.m., was delayed over an hour and a half due to heavy rain in the area.
His second outstanding start in as many outings this season against the Trojans (25-7), Mazza surrendered just four hits and added five strikeouts against one walk in the win for UCSB (24-7) while improving to a still-undefeated 4-0. The victory secured a seventh straight win for the Gauchos, their longest winning streak of the season.
In a game mostly devoid of offense, Maris and Plantier knocked in vital runs in the decisive top of the sixth.
Senior left fielder Cameron Newell had opened the frame with a grounder up the middle, advancing to second on a passed ball from USC catcher Jeremy Martinez. Maris then knocked in the first run of the game, lining a solid base hit into center field with Trojans center fielder Timmy Robinson’s throw to home coming in way off line.
Plantier then entered the game as a pinch-hitter for third baseman Ryan Clark, promptly jumping on a 1-1 offering for a run-scoring single.
The game had remained scoreless after five full innings in a pitching duel between Mazza and USC hurlers RHP Jeff Paschke, who started, and LHP Bernardo Flores, who entered the game in the third inning.
Mazza effectively mixed his usual fastball-changeup combo with a devastating breaking ball on Tuesday, keeping the Trojans off balance all night. Only two of the four hits Mazza gave up on the day were on solid contact; the other two included an infield single and a bunt single where UCSB first baseman Dalton Kelly slipped on the still-slick infield grass.
The southpaw received a little bit of help from his defense on the night, specifically from senior right fielder Luke Swenson.
The Moorpark, Calif. native made a headlong dive on a line drive into the right center gap in the bottom of the first to prevent sure extra bases and a USC run in the bottom of the first. Then in the fifth, he ranged back to his right to make a nice running catch on the warning track on a well struck ball off the bat of leadoff hitter Bobby Stahel.
Mazza made an outstanding play himself before Swenson’s fifth inning catch, snagging a David Oppenheim comebacker to start a 1-4-3 twin killing. That play proved vital as the next two Trojan batters reached, first on an error then on the bunt single.
The UCSB starter made way for righty Alex Garcia in the eighth. The freshman flashed a mid 90s fastball, which induced a pair of swinging strikeouts, and was generally effective, but USC did score their one run of the game when Stahel scored on a wild pitch.
Junior closer Robby Nesovic then pitched a scoreless ninth to lock down the win, picking up his third save in as many chances.
Sophomore center fielder Andrew Calica singled to lead off the game, reaching base for the 30th consecutive game.
He followed that up by picking up his team-leading 12th stolen base of the season.
Twice actually.
Calica seemed to have second stolen on a 1-2 pitch to Newell, but a questionable batter’s interference call on Newell’s check swing put the Gauchos’ leadoff man back at first. It was no big matter to Calica, who proceeded to swipe his bag during Nesovic’s ensuing at-bat.
Against these very same Trojans on Mar. 3 at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, Mazza fanned a season-high eight batters while allowing two runs as the the Gauchos knocked off USC for their first loss of the season at that point.
The Gauchos return to conference play this weekend as they travel to Northridge to take on the Matadors in a three-game Big West series. The first two games of that series in the San Fernando Valley will be nationally televised on ESPN3.
