May 27, 2006
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -
UC Santa Barbara scored six times in the fourth inning to break the game open and Andy Graham pitched eight solid innings for his sixth win as the Gauchos defeated Cal Poly 11-6 in the opener of a three-game Big West Conference baseball series Friday night before 924 in Baggett Stadium.
Graham (6-7) had a no-hitter through four innings and finished scattering eight hits, allowing three runs with four strikeouts and two walks as UC Santa Barbara evened its overall mark at 26-26 and improved to 9-10 in the Big West.
Cal Poly, which ended up outhitting the Gauchos 12-11, fell to 27-27 and 8-11.
Matt Clark homered leading off the second inning for UCSB and the Gauchos added another run in the frame on Alden Carrithers' single to right-centerfield. Clark's single to right field in the third inning gave UCSB a 3-0 lead and the Gauchos broke the game open in the fourth with a six-run rally highlighted by Clark¹s three-run double down the right-field line.
UCSB added two more unearned runs in the fifth inning for an 11-0 cushion.
Cal Poly registered its first two hits of the game in the fifth inning and finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth on freshman third baseman Adam Buschini's solo home run down the left-field line, his first of the season.
The Mustangs added two more in the seventh on junior designated hitter Bryan Kepner's single to right field. Cal Poly scored its final three runs in the ninth on an RBI single by freshman second baseman Brent Morel and a two-run single by junior shortstop Josh Lansford.
Clark finished with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, driving in five runs for the Gauchos. Center fielder Matt Emerick also was 3-for-4 with one RBI while Carrithers and Chris McMurray each had a pair of hits.
Lansford, Kepner and Morel each had two hits for Cal Poly.
Mustang starter Bud Norris (8-6) allowed six runs and seven hits in 3.1 innings, walking five and hitting one Gaucho batter. Four other Mustang pitchers were used in relief -- junior Kevin Waldron pitching two scoreless innings and freshman Eric Massingham tossing a scoreless ninth.
Second game of the series will be played Saturday night at 6, with junior right-hander Gary Daley Jr. (6-8, 5.91 ERA) on the mound for Cal Poly against UC Santa Barbara junior southpaw Jeff Braun (2-1, 2.88 ERA).
|
|
 |
