The Gauchos took a trip down south as they faced the California State University, Fullerton Titans for a Big West conference matchup. UC Santa Barbara took the opening game of the series, winning 14-0, but they dropped the last two games 8-1 and 5-0 to lose their second consecutive series in two weeks. 

UC Santa Barbara had no problem in the opening game of the series. Through one inning of work from both sides, the game remained scoreless till the 2nd inning. With 2 outs in the 2nd inning, the Titans committed a costly error that could have ended the inning. Junior second baseman Nick Oakley took full advantage as he hit a 3-run home run to give the Gauchos the early 3-0 lead.

Sophomore pitcher Matt Ager kept the Titans quiet going into the 3rd inning, allowing no hits through 2 innings of work. The Gauchos continued to pour it on as junior outfielder Jared Sundstrom hit a 3-run home run to extend the lead to 6-0. 

The bats couldn’t stop as the Gauchos were putting on a hitting clinic in the top of the 3rd inning. UC Santa Barbara batted around the lineup as they recorded 7 hits and scored 7 runs to make it 10-0 going into the bottom half of the inning.

Ager continued to shut the Titans down as he pitched seven and two-thirds. The sophomore allowed only 2 hits, no runs and 9 strikeouts leading him to earn his fourth win of the season.

The Gauchos added 4 more runs to make it 14-0 before junior pitcher Elliot Gallegos recorded the last of 3 outs.

CSU Fullerton wasted no time in the next game, as they took the lead early on in the game. Freshman pitcher Tyler Bremner found himself in trouble early, as he gave up a leadoff double in the 1st. The Titans soon scored on an RBI single to left to make it 1-0.

Bremner settled down as he pitched a scoreless 2nd and 3rd inning but soon gave up another run as 2 extra-base hits in the inning extended CSU Fullerton’s lead to 2-0. 

UC Santa Barbara fought back as senior outfielder Broc Mortensen cut the deficit in half in the top of the 5th, making it a 2-1 ballgame.

The Titans responded in the next inning, increasing their lead to 4-1. UC Santa Barbara could not push another run across as the Titans tied the series with an 8-1 win. 

Freshman pitcher Reed Moring took the mound for UC Santa Barbara, as they looked to take another Big West conference series. 

Both teams remained scoreless until the Titans took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning. A lead-off walk proved costly as CSU Fullerton only had 1 hit in the inning but scored 3 runs off 2 walks and 1 error.

CSU Fullerton added more runs to their total a few innings later as an RBI single drove in 2 runs to make it 5-0 Titans. The Gauchos’ bats were asleep all day as they got shut out to lose 5-0.

The Gauchos will play two non-conference games against San José State University at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium on April 10 and 11. The first pitch times are scheduled for 5:05 p.m. and 3:05 p.m. 

The games stream live on ESPN+. An audio-only broadcast and live statistics will be accessible via ucsbgauchos.com.