UCSB baseball powers way to victory

By ERIC BOOSE UCSB SPORTS

Josh Williams got all of his first career hit, launching it 436 feet into right field, clearing the wall by plenty for a three-run home run. His long ball was one of three UCSB baseball (7-3) hit on Sunday, as the Gauchos rode that early power surge, plus near-flawless pitching from Reed Moring to a 5-1 win over Xavier (57). Aaron Parker and Justin Trimble joined Williams for the home run party, while UCSB’s freshman righty, Moring, went seven scoreless innings on the mound for the win.

How It Happened

The Gauchos and their fans had to wait for some mid-afternoon rain to clear before getting started, but once the game got underway, everyone at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium was rewarded for their patience. After clubbing a home run and two doubles Saturday night, Parker kept his hot streak rolling, taking a 1-0 pitch right over the 405 sign in dead center field to give the home side a 1-0 lead. The first-inning fun did not end there, as after Ivan Brethowr and Broc Mortensen walked, Williams made only his second college at-bat a memorable one, crushing a three-run shot to right.

After Moring worked a perfect top of the second, it was right back to the long ball for UCSB, as Trimble led off the inning with a homer to the same part of the ballpark as Williams’. It was only Trimble’s second hit of

Dos Pueblos shows progress in track and field

The Chargers competed in Moorpark High School’s Don Green Memorial Invitational over the weekend.

The Dos Pueblos boys had a consistent performance in all of their races and performances. In the pole vault competition, Eoghan Gloster finished in second place with a personal record of 11’ 10”. Chris Pagliaro came in sixth place in the triple jump competition, which places him at sixth place in the Channel League.

The girls also showed an impressive performance. With a personal record of 53.09 seconds in the 300m hurdles, Clehann Howard came in second place overall. Ellie Gleason came in fifth place at the 1600m hurdles in her season debut. In the high jump competition, Olivia can Gool cleared 4’8” and landed in eleventh place.

The track and field athletes will compete again this weekend at the Ventura Invitational

San Marcos dominates in softball

The Royals softball team competed against St. Bonaventure and Pioneer Valley in a doubleheader on Saturday.

Both games were won by San Marcos as they continued to find success in the beginning of the season.

The score of the first game against St. Bonaventure was 4-3. Caitlyn Early had a solo home run, Kamiliah Morales had a double, and Solana Sandoval delivered a walkoff single, scoring Morales.

The second game had a more decisive score, with the Royals beating Pioneer Valley 8-4. Early had another home run in this game, and Morales gave the Royals another double.

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the season, with both leaving the yard.

Xavier’s starter faced one more Gaucho but then departed, and while his replacement managed to cool UCSB’s bats, it didn’t matter much because Moring had the Xavier offense completely shut down. The freshman righty spun a seven-inning gem Sunday afternoon, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out three. The ground ball was Moring’s best friend Sunday afternoon, especially when he induced a double play to end the only inning in which he allowed multiple baserunners. Most of the contact Xavier got against Moring ended up going straight to a defender, and even when it didn’t, the Gaucho defense made the play anyway, like Nick Oakley’s sliding stop to take away a hit in the sixth.

Hudson Barrett relieved Moring to start the eighth inning and struck out two in the frame to strand a runner on third, but he would eventually give up a run in the ninth. The lefty hit Xavier’s lead-off man with a pitch, and while Sam Whiting took over for Barrett, that run did come around to score before the end of the game.

On The Stat Sheet

• In all three games of this weekend series, the team with more hits went on to lose the game. UCSB scored their five runs on only four hits Sunday, while Xavier only managed one from their six knocks

• After working two thirds of the seventh inning last weekend at Oregon, Reed Moring

Sports Roundup

San Marcos plays Wednesday against Ventura at home.

Santa Barbara excels on track

The Dons also competed at the Moorpark High School’s Don Green Memorial Invitational.

The standout women’s athlete of this meet was Anne Knecht, who won the 800m with a personal best of 2:21.25. She also was a big help in the 4x400m relay event, helping the team come in third place.

“Anne has shown a lot of range in our first few meets, with some nice performances in everything from the 400 meters through the two mile,” said head coach Olivia Perdices.

Davis Flanagin also gave a strong performance this weekend. Flanagin came in first place in the long jump competition and was second place in the triple jump competition.

“Davis continues to stack up consistently good results. It’s really a testament to the work he does and the competitor he is,” Perdices said.

got to finish seven frames Sunday night and deserved to, finishing with a line of zero runs on three hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.

• Each of UCSB’s four hits came from different players and all went for extra bases, with Ivan Brethowr adding a double to the three homers.

• Hudson Barrett and Sam Whiting each worked an inning of relief on Sunday. Barrett gave up the one run on one hit, a walk, and hit a batter but also struck out two. Whiting allowed two hits but no runs, striking out two and issuing no walks.

• The results of Justin Trimble’s first four at-bats this season were as follows: strikeout, home run, strikeout, home run. He also reached base three times on a walk and two hit-by-pitches in that span.

UP NEXT

The Gauchos will play their first mid-week game of the season on Tuesday, welcoming the Pepperdine Waves to Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. The Waves also went 2-1 on the weekend, with wins over South Alabama and Southern before a loss to Iowa. Neither team has announced their starter for Tuesday’s contest yet. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m., and the game will be live on ESPN+ email: sports@newspress.com

Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB.

Santa Ynez succeeds in track and field

The Pirates competed at the Atascadero Memorial Meet this past Saturday. The meet was “cold and blustery,” according to head coach Ron Misner.

There were many first-place finishes for the Pirates including Madison Dewett for the discus and Chase Sylvia for the triple jump.

The 4x200 relay also came in first place. The team included Ikenna Ofiaeli, Vincent Casey, Daulton Beard and Rafael Beleski.

Casey also came in second place for the triple jump and third place in the long jump.

San Marcos track team shows consistency

The Royals were also in attendance at the Moorpark High School’s Don Green Memorial Invitational over the weekend.

The girls varsity distance medley relay runners Kisla Kaas, Baylie Bingham, Stella Crawford,

Shaina King, and Melina Vela came in third place in the 4x800m distance medley relay.

“These girls are coming off of a great cross country season,” shared head coach Marilyn Hantgin.

Jared Martinez, Lidetu Ayalew, and Brodie Johnson finished in third, fifth, and eighth place respectively in the boy’s 300m hurdles.

The Royal’s next meet is Saturday at the Ventura Invitational.

— Compiled by Annika Bahnsen