UC Santa Barbara Rallies For 8-7 Big West Victory Over Cal Poly

Friday, April 17

Santa Barbara, CA

3 pm

15-19, 4-3

UC Santa Barbara

27-8, 5-2

Cal Poly

UCSB

UC Santa Barbara Rallies For 8-7 Big West Victory Over Cal Poly

4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – No. 9 UC Santa Barbara rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to turn a 6-3 deficit into an 8-7 victory over Cal Poly in the opener of a three-game Big West Conference baseball series Friday afternoon at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

Mustang closer Danny Zandona, from nearby Santa Barbara High School, entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with a 1.19 ERA and struck out the first batter he faced before surrendering five earned runs on three walks and four hits.

Cal Poly rallied for a run in the ninth on two walks and a passed ball, but a strikeout and a grounder to shortstop ended the game.

With the loss, Cal Poly's five-game winning streak came to an end. The Mustangs are 15-19 for the season and 4-3 in Big West games. UC Santa Barbara, which outhit Cal Poly 15-10, improved to 27-8 and 5-2.

Cal Poly scored its first six runs in the second inning to erase an early 2-0 deficit. Right fielder John Schuknecht homered to left to tie the game at 2-2, second baseman Mark Mathias singled to give Cal Poly the lead and shortstop Peter Van Gansen (pictured above) belted his first career home run, a three-run shot down the right-field line, for a 6-2 cushion.

The Gauchos answered with a run in the third before erupting for five in the eighth for the win.

Cal Poly loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but a shallow fly ball to left field resulted in an inning-ending double play as center fielder Jordan Ellis was thrown out at the plate. The Mustangs also left runners at first and second in the eighth.

Schuknecht, center fielder Jordan Ellis and first baseman Ryan Drobny all collected two of Cal Poly's 10 hits.

Right fielder Luke Swenson had four hits while first baseman Robby Nesovic and left fielder Cameron Newell both had three hits for UC Santa Barbara.

Gaucho starter Justin Jacome gave up six runs and 10 hits in 7 1/3 innings. The win went to Kyle Nelson (2-1), who secured two outs in the eighth before UCSB scored five in the bottom of the eighth to turn the game around. Nesovic allowed an unearned run in the ninth but picked up his sixth save.

The loss went to Zandona (1-3) as he allowed all five runs in the eighth. Mustang starter Casey Bloomquist allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

Second game of the Blue-Green Rivalry series will be played Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock with freshman southpaw Kyle Smith (3-5, 3.51 ERA) on the mound for Cal Poly.