UCSB Baseball opened Big West action with a 4-3 comeback victory over Long Beach State on Friday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The Gauchos (10-2, 1-0 Big West) have now won nine straight games, and will look to keep it rolling against the Dirtbags (4-9, 0-1 Big West) on Saturday at 3:05 p.m. as they go for the series victory.
Long Beach State struck with two runs in the top of the first on a two-run single by Dylan Lina to go up 2-0.
UCSB junior starter Jackson Flora settled in after that, answering with five scoreless frames and ending the day with seven strikeouts.
UCSB starter Jackson Flora turned in six innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits and striking out seven along the way. He is now 4-0 on the season. (Lily Chubb / Noozhawk Photo)
The 2-0 score held until the bottom of the fifth inning, when sophomore Rowan Kelly got the Gauchos on the board with an RBI single up the middle. One batter later, senior Cole Kosciusko belted a two-run homer over the left-field wall to put UCSB in front at 3-2.
Kelly kept it rolling in the sixth inning with an RBI double to give his team an insurance run at 4-2 heading into the seventh. Kelly went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the UCSB offensive attack
That insurance run proved crucial, as Long Beach State threatened in the top of the ninth. The Dirtbags scored on another RBI single by Lina to cut the deficit to one run and bring the tying run into scoring position with two outs.
However, junior righthander AJ Krodel got the final batter to ground out to second base to secure the conference-opening win.
UCSB’s Cole Kosciusko (right) celebrates with Rowan Kelly (3) and Nick Husovsky (6) after Kosciusko’s home run in Friday’s Big West opener. (Lily Chubb / Noozhawk Photo)