UC SANTA BARBARA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

UC Santa Barbara dropped game one of Friday's doubleheader 3-0 before rebounding and taking game two, 2-1.

May 11, 2007

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara softball team split the first two games of its three-game series with Big West Conference opponent Long Beach State falling in game one by way of a 3-0 shutout before taking game two, 2-1 at the 49er's Softball Complex Friday afternoon.

With the split, the Gauchos are now 30-20 on the season, marking the first 30-win season since 2004 and third since head coach Kristy Schroeder took the program's reigns in 2002. UCSB is now 7-10 in conference games and will finish sixth in the Big West standings. Long Beach State now holds an overall mark of 27-25 and is 10-7 in Big West match-ups.

In the first game of the day, sophomore Christine Ramos led the Gauchos' going 2-for-3 at the plate while senior Jessica Hejna went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice hit. Senior hurler Jennifer Davis took the loss after tossing six innings allowing three unearned runs on five hits, walking one and striking out six.

For the 49er's Whitney Radcliff led with a 2-for-3 showing including an RBI and a stolen base. Pitcher Bridgette Pagano picked up the win after throwing a complete seven innings allowing no runs on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

The first five and a half innings of the day's first game remained scoreless as the Gauchos' outhit the 49er's three hits to one. At the bottom of the fifth inning, Panita Thanatharn led off with a single to left field. Brooke LeSage followed in the order and reached on a fielder's choice and a Gaucho error allowed Thanatharn to advance to second to put two batters on-base with no outs. A walk loaded the bases for Long Beach before another fielder's choice error allowed Thanatharn to score the first run of the game, unearned. Back-to-back singles brought home two more runners to put Long Beach ahead 3-0.

Hejna opened the next inning with a single, but it was the last UCSB hit of the game as the 49ers took the shutout win.

During the second game of the day, an RBI single by Tisha Duran brought pinch runner Brittany Putich home for the first Gaucho run of the day at the top of the fifth inning. At the top of the seventh, Davis earned a walk with three runners on-base to bring home senior Liz Walters putting the Gauchos ahead 2-0.

At the bottom of the seventh inning, Jessica Beaver led off with a homerun, but it was the only run for the 49ers during the game as UCSB took the 2-1 win.

Davis led the Gauchos going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk and took the win in the circle after pitching a complete seven innings allowing just one hit and one run while walking one batter and fanning six. The Whittier, Calif. native now holds a season record of 14-13.

For Long Beach State, Pagano picked up the loss after pitching a complete game allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Pagano now holds a season record of 19-11.

UCSB will wrap up its regular season schedule on Saturday with the series' rubber game against the 49ers at 1:00 p.m. at Long Beach State's Softball Complex.