With a late decision that put senior Nick Capito on the mound in UCSB’s matchup with San Jose State instead of senior Greg Davis, who suffered a scratched cornea, the lefty threw a two-hitter and allowed just one unearned run through 5.2 innings in a 4-1 UCSB win.

[media-credit id=20281 align=”alignleft” width=”186″][/media-credit] SJSU (19-8 overall) took the first two games of the series, winning 9-8 on Friday and 7-3 on Saturday. The Gauchos dropped to 12-11, but the win ended a three-game losing streak.

“[Nick’s] one of those guys that goes in and throws strikes. He hits the zone with three pitches,” senior right fielder Mark Haddow said.

Haddow, who currently leads UCSB with 19 RBI, hit a two-RBI triple in the first inning. Senior first baseman Trevor Whyte tacked on another run with an RBI double the following at-bat. Haddow drove in three on the day.

After that inning, Capito and the rest of the pitching staff went to work, shutting down San Jose State completely. Junior right-hander Matthew Brady and senior right-handers Bryce Uhrig and Nick Loredo pitched relief innings for the Gauchos, combining for just one hit and three strikeouts in 3.1 total innings.

“[Getting that win] gives confidence back to our bullpen after [Friday’s loss],” Haddow said.

In Saturday’s 7-3 UCSB loss, the Spartans crossed the plate seven times in just 4.2 innings against Gaucho right-hander Matt Vedo, tallying 18 hits in the game.

Senior second baseman Sean Williams hit a three-run homer on Saturday to score all of UCSB’s runs. He recorded six hits in three games and leads the team with a .382 batting average.

In Friday’s 9-8 loss, the Gauchos held on until the ninth inning, when the Spartans tacked on three late runs to take the game 9-8. Davis was pegged with the loss after allowing a single, a walk and a game-tying double. The bullpen allowed 11 hits in the game.

“We had it won on Friday, but it got away from us,” Haddow said. “It’s nice to win at least one. Just that momentum going into [league play] now is big for us.”

The series against the Spartans was UCSB’s second consecutive in which they lost the series but won the final game.

Next, the Gauchos open up conference play as they host a three-game series against Cal Poly on April 8. First pitch in that game is set for 3 p.m. at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

 

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