The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball opened Big West conference co play with a 4-3 victory over Long Beach State on Friday night at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium

With the win Santa Barbara improved to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Long Beach State (4-9, 0-1 Big West) struck quickly against Gauchos starter Jackson Flora. The Dirtbags’ first two batters reached base on singles, then advanced into scoring position on a double steal. Another single plated both runners, giving the visitors an early 2-0 lead before Flora settled down to end the inning.

Despite the shaky start, Flora recovered to deliver a steady outing. The right-hander limited Long Beach State to those two early runs while striking out seven and working through six innings. He also picked off two runners at first base, helping erase additional threats.

Santa Barbara’s offense broke through in the fifth inning. Colin Beazizo drew a leadoff walk and sparked the rally by stealing second and advancing to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Rowan Kelly followed with a single up the middle to bring Beazizo home and cut the deficit to one.

Moments later, Cole Kosciusko gave the Gauchos the lead with a two-run home run — his first of the season — putting Santa Barbara ahead 3-2.

The Gauchos added an insurance run in the sixth. Pinch hitter Jordan Marian started the inning with a single, and Beazizo followed with another base hit. Kelly delivered again, driving in Marian with a double to right field to extend the lead to 4-2.

Chase Hoover was effective in relief against Long Beach State. Photo Credit: Gary Kim

Santa Barbara’s bullpen preserved the advantage in tense late innings. Reliever Chase Hoover escaped a seventh-inning jam with runners on second and third by striking out two batters. In the ninth, closer AJ Krodel entered with runners on first and second and no outs. After recording a strikeout and getting help from right fielder Noah Karliner on a deep fly ball in the gap, Krodel allowed a two-out RBI single before inducing a groundout to end the game.

The teams will meet again Saturday afternoon for the second game of the three-game series at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Santa Barbara is expected to start right-hander Nathan Aceves, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m.