UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (27-12) returned the favor to California Baptist (22-19) on Monday night, walking off the Lancers, 7-6, the same scoreline by which CBU had claimed victory in Riverside a year prior. Jonathan Mendez's RBI single drove in the winning run for the Gauchos in the bottom of the ninth, with LeTrey McCollum the one scoring it. Earlier in the game, McCollum's first career grand slam had helped Santa Barbara re-take the lead.
HOW IT HAPPENEDSanta Barbara got pretty much everything they wanted to start Monday night's game, with Reed Moring making his return from injury on the mound. The righty struck out the first batter he faced and retired the next two for a perfect inning in his first work since Feb. 25. Xavier Esquer and McCollum got the bottom of the first started with back-to-back singles, and a walk to Mendez loaded the bases. Nate Vargas hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Esquer with the first run of the game.
Moring's day was done after the one inning, with Cole Tryba taking over on the bump for a rare bit of long relief. The lefty worked a perfect second, stranded a two-out single and hit batter when a Lancer baserunner was hit by a batted ball in the third, then worked a perfect fourth.
Tryba carried on into the fifth but exited after a two-out single. A walk and another single allowed that run to score and tie the game, and the Lancers would take a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth. A bunt single and two-out home run to center field gave the visitors the lead, though Rowan Kelly came agonizingly close to robbing the long ball.
A double play quashed the Gauchos' attempt to rally in the bottom of the sixth, and CBU added a run after a lead-off single, sacrifice bunt and single in the top of the seventh. Nathan Aceves was summoned from the bullpen to put out the fire, and he did with a strikeout and lineout to center.
When he came back out on to the mound, Aceves found himself in line for the win. Back-to-back singles to the pitchers, one a swinging bunt and the other a true bunt, gave the Gauchos a pair of baserunners to start the bottom of the seventh, and an error at second base loaded the bases with nobody out. The Lancers brought in a new reliever to face McCollum, but after the veteran outfielder looked at two balls, he blasted a pitch deep into the trees behind left field for his first career grand slam, giving Santa Barbara a 5-4 lead. The Gauchos were not done either, as Cole Kosciusko kept the rally going with a single into right, prompting the second pitching change of the inning. That did not stop the runs though, as Mendez's double moved Kosciusko to third, and Vargas collected his second sacrifice fly of the night to drive Kosciusko home.
Aceves and Donovann Jackson combined to get through the top of the eighth with Santa Barbara's 6-4 lead intact, but the first two Lancer batters in the top of the ninth hit a single and a two-run homer to re-tie the game. Stunner Gonzalez came in for just his third inning of collegiate pitching, easily the highest-leverage one of his career. The rookie gave up a single and a sacrifice bunt, then the Gauchos issued an intentional walk to load the bases with just one out. But Gonzalez got out of the jam, striking out the next Lancer up, then getting a groundout to second to end the frame with the scores still tied.
Esquer nearly walked it off as the first batter in the ninth, hitting a fly ball to right that carried and carried right up to the wall, bouncing off it for a double that Esquer was thrown out trying to stretch into a triple. The next man up, McCollum, dropped a fly ball on the one spot in right field that no Lancer could get to it, but he was initially called out too, trying to get to second base. Luckily for the Gauchos, the umpires reviewed the play and saw that McCollum was clearly safe. After Kosciusko's groundout moved McCollum to third, Mendez smacked a single between the third baseman and shortstop to win the game.
BY THE NUMBERSWith the win, the Gauchos claim the season series against California Baptist, having won a neutral-site game in San Diego back in February. It is the fourth season series Santa Barbara has played against the Lancers, and they are yet to lose one, winning three-game sets in both 2019 and 2025 while splitting two-game affairs in both 2023 and 2024.McCollum has especially enjoyed playing the Lancers this season, hitting both his first career home run and his first career grand slam in games against CBU. Across the three contests, McCollum hit .615/.615/1.231 with two doubles, two homers and seven RBIs.
UP NEXTThe Gauchos will now take their show on the road for seven games, their longest road trip of the season. Up first for Santa Barbara is a trip to San Diego, taking on UC San Diego April 25-27 and the University of San Diego on April 28. The Gauchos then head to Cal State Fullerton, May 2-4, before returning home to host USC on May 6.
(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)
McCollum and Mendez deliver late as UCSB celebrates walk-off win over Cal Baptist News Channel 3-12.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( McCollum and Mendez deliver late as UCSB celebrates walk-off win over Cal Baptist )
Also on site :