The UCSB softball team went 2-3 this weekend in the NFCA Leadoff Classic at the South Commons Complex in Columbus, Ga.

On Friday, the Gauchos (9-10) fell to #12 Michigan (17-2) before defeating Syracuse (0-13). Saturday’s action saw North Carolina State (9-11) triumph over UCSB 3-0 before Santa Barbara upset #18 Mississippi State (15-2) in eight innings. Finally, the Gauchos took a 2-0 loss against #19 DePaul (12-5) on Sunday, despite solid pitching.

“We played some good competition out-of-state,” Head Coach Brie Galicinao said. “I mean, there are great teams in California, but playing Syracuse from up in New York, Michigan and DePaul from the middle of the country; it was good for us.”

The highlight of the weekend was the upset of Mississippi State, in which Santa Barbara fought through seven scoreless innings of a pitchers’ duel. Three Gaucho singles came in the eighth before a two-run double by sophomore catcher Kelsey Anderson capped off the five-run burst. The Bulldogs responded with two runs on their end, but it was not enough.

“We were running aggressively on the bases,” Galicinao said. “And typically Mississippi State likes to run, but our team was in it, and it was nice to see us get outs when [the Bulldogs] tried to run.”

Sophomore hurler Lindsey Correa (5-3), who pitched the entire game, allowed just one earned run against Mississippi State, and struck out two, despite allowing six hits and five walks in the upset.

“Lindsey struggled with the walks, but she was still able to get out of some jams,” Galicinao said. “[The pitchers] are still working on trying to get comfortable with their own game, because we don’t have one dominant person. We just want a performance from them that will allow us to compete.”

UCSB returns home to face Loyola Chicago for a doubleheader this Saturday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively.