In its first three-game series of the season, the UCSB baseball team won two of three games from San Jose State, including a 10-1 win on Sunday’s rubber match.

UCSB improves to 3-1 on the season while SJSU drops to 2-6.

Sophomore pitcher Dylan Hecht, the team’s ace, started the rubber match for the Gauchos on Sunday.

In his first start of the season, Hecht had a shaky appearance and was taken out of the game early. However, Hecht had his usual stuff on display against the Spartans.

Hecht did not allow an earned run through six innings of work and walked only two batters with four strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the offense for the Gauchos was clicking from the beginning of the first inning. Sophomore designated hitter Robby Nesovic brought in two runs home on a hit and then scored on a single by junior first baseman Tyler Kuresa, giving the Gauchos a 3-0 lead.

Behind the arm of Hecht, UCSB tacked on to the lead in the second inning with one run, and an additional three more runs in the fourth inning. Santa Barbara added three more runs later in the game and won the contest 10-1.

Nesovic went 3-5 from the plate with two RBIs.

Saturday’s afternoon game was a close affair until the seventh inning, when SJSU broke a 3-3 deadlock. Sophomore pitcher Hector Lujan gave up a hit and walk before being pulled out from the game.

The Spartans loaded the bases after another walk allowed, putting catcher Kyle Gallegos at the plate. Gallegos hit a clutch double, giving San Jose a two-run lead going into the eighth inning.

Santa Barbara responded with two runs to even the match. However, UCSB put itself into a further hole in the bottom half of the inning when they allowed two more runs giving San Jose a 7-5 advantage.

Santa Barbara could not come up with the needed runs in the final and dropped the decision.

Despite getting 16 hits in the game, UCSB couldn’t get the timely hits it needed to pull ahead. Junior right fielder Scott Quilan had the best performance from the plate, going 3-5.

Sophomore pitcher Justin Jacome took the mound for the Gauchos in the opening game of the series. The lefty threw six solid innings, giving up two earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts before being lifted.

Santa Barbara got on the board in the second inning on a single by freshman outfielder Andrew Calica, who brought a runner home from third base. San Jose scored in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at one apiece.

Held scoreless for the next five innings, the Gauchos put a runner in scoring position with two outs, trailing by one run. Kuresa delivered the game-tying single UCSB needed that sent the game into extra innings.

After a scoreless ninth inning pitched by sophomore Greg Mahle, the Gauchos started the tenth inning with a runner on second base after a walk and sacrifice. Nesovic came up to at-bat and doubled down the line to give UCSB the 3-2 win.

The win extended the Gauchos’ win streak against the Spartans to eight games, dating back to the 2011 season.

UCSB will have another non-conference game on Tuesday against defending champion UCLA. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Los Angeles.

 

This article is an online exclusive and did not appear in the print edition of the Daily Nexus.

Photo by Peter Vandenbelt of the Daily Nexus.

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