UCSB golf finishes fifth at Orange County Collegiate Classic

By KRISTEN KELLER UCSB SPORTS

The UCSB Golf team wrapped up the Orange County Collegiate Classic hosted by UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. This was the first tournament for the team during their championship season. After three rounds at the Coto de Caza Country Club, the Gauchos finished in the middle of the pack, earning fifth out of 10 teams.

The Gauchos played two rounds of golf on the first day of competition, taking on the likes of Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Cal Baptist, and others as the shotgun start began. Over the first two rounds, the team shot 301 and 294, respectively, to be at +16 at the end of Day 1, tied with Cal State Fullerton’s B Team and UC Irvine.

On this first day, John Bush had the best scores for the Gauchos. His first two rounds came out to 147, which was just three above par to make him tied for 12th.

Teammate Andrew Ricci followed close behind him with a 148 for two rounds.

The third and final round happened on Day Two of competition. The Gauchos came back on the green to see if they could move their way through the rankings. After 18 holes, they finished the third round with a team score of 304 which gave them sole possession of fifth place out of 10 teams to round out their time in Coto de Caza.

On this final day, Mason Benbrook had his lowest round of the tournament to finish at 222 to tie for 11th. Following close behind him were teammates Bush and Ricci, who both finished with an overall score of 223 to tie for 15th.

The Gauchos will return to Santa Barbara with two weeks to prepare for their next tournament at the Wyoming Desert Classic hosted by the University of Wyoming beginning March 1.

Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com

Sports Roundup

Cate boys basketball falls to Long Beach Jordan

The Cate boys basketball team lost to Long Beach Jordan on Tuesday, falling by a score of 8974.

“Cate played the most incredible game and I could not be more proud,” said Cate Coach Andy Gil. “We played our hearts out and left every remaining ounce of energy on the court … It was thrilling, fast and great basketball played … a school of 250 hung with a school of 2500 and had a chance to win it.”

Senior Babacar Pouye led the way for Cate, scoring 32 points while adding 16 rebounds and eight blocks.

“Pouye was an absolute monster,” said Gil, calling the him “by far the best player in the gym.”

Marcus Scudder, a sophomore, also provided a standout performance, scoring 28 points.

Tyler Martinez finished with 11 points, Jengus Ercil scored seven and Will Vanica added five.

“Tonight, the pace was just not sustainable for us,” said Gil. “We played them well, but they outshot their season stats by a long shot and forced us into some timely turnovers.

“We got great looks at shots we have knocked down all season. The had a dark gym and our legs were tired, but our shot selection was fantastic. We threw everything at them and made them uncomfortable many times tonight,” he said.

“I could not be more proud. We had the top seeded team in our division on their heels in a hostile environment.”

SY baseball defeats Santa Maria

The Santa Ynez High baseball team beat Santa Maria on

Tuesday, outscoring their opponents 16-6.

Leading the way for the Pirates were Tate Minus with three hits, Bradley Lood with five RBIs and Adam Stephens with three runs.

Pitchers Stephens and Tate combined to allow five hits and strike out 12 batters.

SB baseball loses to Crespi

The Santa Barbara High baseball team lost to Crespi in the Easton Tournament on Tuesday, falling by a score of 10-1.

On a day with few highlights, Zeke Adderley led the way with a 2-2 performance with a double, a walk and two stolen bases. He was also hit by a pitch.

Santa Barbara Coach also called out the strong effort of senior Dane Dawson, saying “hopefully some of the younger guys took notice” of his hustle.

SY boys soccer defeats Parlier

The Santa Ynez boys soccer team handily defeated Parlier on Tuesday, winning 3-1.

Following a scoreless first half, Santa Ynez opened up in the second, beginning with a Spencer Silverman goal 13 minutes into the half.

Later, Santa Ynez got its second goal when a Parlier defender kicked the ball over his own goalkeeper after a battle in the box with Santa Ynez’ Gabriel Beleski.

Parlier’s lone goal was scored on a free kick with about five minutes left in the game. Just a couple minutes later, Santa Ynez regained their two-goal lead on a goal by Braeden Melville.

- Compiled by Matt Smolensky