UCSB softball goes 1-1 to start season

By KRISTEN KELLER UCSB SPORTS

The UCSB Softball team (1-1) opened up the 2023 season today as they took on the University of Nevada Wolf Pack and the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The Gauchos had a strong showing in this first day of games as they secured a win over the Fighting Hawks and lost to the Wolf Pack.

UCSB came out for their first game under head coach Jo Evans ready to play as they kept Nevada at bay through the first two innings. The Wolf Pack was the first team to put themselves on the board with a run in the third, but it didn’t stop the Gauchos.

UC Santa Barbara went and scored five runs in the fifth inning with the help of Korie Thomas’s triple, giving themselves the chance to win this game. However, the Wolf Pack had big fifth and sixth innings of their own to take the lead as the Gauchos lost the first game 8-5.

“I am happy with the way our team competed today,” Coach Evans said. “We battled against Nevada and Cam Snyder through some very solid innings for us. She kept us in the game and gave us a shot to win. Our offense made good adjustments at the plate and stayed aggressive.”

In this first game of the day, Thomas had a huge swing to right center to get her three RBI’s while Sam Denehy stole a base to help her come across home plate. Camryn Snyder pitched the first five innings for the Gauchos as she struck out five batters along the way.

The Gauchos were back on the field shortly after their game against Nevada, but this time, they took on North Dakota. UC Santa Barbara took control of the game from the very first inning. Of the 11 runs the team scored in this game, nine of them came in the first three innings. With this commanding performance along with two more runs scored in the fifth, the Gauchos took the second game of the day 11-3 as this also gave Coach Evans her first win as a Gaucho.

“I am pleased with the way we responded in Game Two,” Coach Evans said. “We had an hour rain delay and our team came out focused and attacking on offense. Ava Bradford was on top of her game on the mound and our hitters did a great job scoring in four out the five innings. Bella Fuentes had a great game in her first start as a freshman, offensively and defensively, and it was a great team win. I saw a lot of positives out there today and we will continue to grow as a ball club.”

Madelyn McNally made her presence known on the diamond, registering four of the team’s 11 runs. Along with that, she registered three hits while adding on two RBI’s. The shortstop also assisted on four putouts. Along with her, Chloe Stewart earned multiple runs, grabbing two of her own, while getting an RBI. Bella Fuentes also had her first career start and the freshman excelled. She registered a run of her own while bringing in three of her teammates.

The Gauchos will be back on the field in San Luis Obispo tomorrow morning as they take on the Wolf Pack and Fighting Hawks again. The first pitch of the day will be at 9 a.m.

Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director at UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com put up her career-high 14 points and foul out of the game. She is the only player to lead UCSB in scoring and foul out of the game this season.

• For the second straight game, Alexis Whitfield led all bench players in scoring, racking up 12 points, all in the first half.

• Ila Lane knocked down a season-best eight of nine free throws Saturday night, the most makes (and attempts) from the charity stripe in the game.

UP NEXT

The road trip continues on Wednesday as UCSB will look to carry momentum from Saturday into yet another tough place to play — UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center. The Gauchos and Anteaters will tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available through ucsbgauchos.com.

Eric Boose writes about sports for UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com

Westmont women’s swimming shines shines to close out Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference

By JACOB NORLING WESTMONT SPORTS WRITER

By the time Westmont Women’s Swimming wrapped up competition in the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships, the Warriors had cemented their name above the rest of their NAIA counterparts.

The Warriors finished eighth overall with 486 points, coming in ahead of several of their most-frequent rivals.

“Scoring the most points out of any NAIA team is huge,” began Westmont head coach Jill Jones Lin. “Beating Fresno Pacific again, too, was a big deal. This time we were able to knockdown Alaska-Fairbanks, who we’ve been going head-to-head with all season long.

“To come out here and put it all together for conference was so exciting.”

PRELIMINARIES

Morgan Bienias made the day’s first headline when she competed in Saturday’s inaugural event, the 200 yard backstroke. After coming in with a previous season-best time of 2:18.04, the senior cut nearly nine seconds off to finish in 2:09.11. Bienias’ time was the 11th-best mark, which earned her a spot in the finals on Saturday night.

Trimming a near-10 seconds off was especially impressive for Bienias, who has only been on a regular swim routine for a little over a month. The former NAIA All-American spent the fall semester on an abroad trip to Uganda, before returning to the Warriors and to the pool after the New Year.

Please see SWIMMING on A3

In a close dual against Loyola Marymount, the UC Santa Barbara men’s tennis team continued their winning streak, defeating the Lions, 4-3 Saturday afternoon. The Gauchos are now 8-0 to start the 2023 campaign. The Lions got off to a strong start by sweeping the doubles point, but UCSB came back with four fierce singles victories to remain unbeaten. Reigning Big West Player of the Week

Phillip Jordan won on court one in straight sets, as did

Conrad Brown on court six. Gianluca Brunkow and Luka Mrsic each gritted out threeset wins on court three and five, respectively, to turn the score to the Gauchos’ favor. It was Brunkow who secured the decisive fourth point. The Gauchos will compete at home again in just six days, hosting the Boise State Broncos at the Arnhold Tennis Center on Friday. Matches are set to begin at 1 p.m. Eric Boose writes about sports for UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com

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