SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — UC Santa Barbara knocked off No. 14 USC 5-1 last Tuesday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, marking the team's third win over a ranked opponent this year. The victory extended the Gauchos' winning streak to four games.
UCSB used five different pitchers to keep the Trojans' lineup off balance. Junior Calvin Proskey returned from injury to throw a scoreless first inning before the team rotated through AJ Krodel, Van Froling, and Raymond Olivas. This group held USC to five hits and one unearned run through the first seven innings. Cole Tryba took over in the eighth to record the final five outs, earning his first save of the season.
The Gauchos took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Nate Vargas hit a solo home run to right field. Ryan Severns reached on an error later in the frame and scored on a Nick Husovsky groundout to double the lead. USC cut the deficit to one with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, but Corey Nunez responded in the bottom half of the inning. His solo home run to left field pushed the lead back to 3-1.
Santa Barbara added insurance runs from Rowan Kelly and Liam Barrett later in the game to finish with 10 total hits. The 5-1 result provides the Gauchos a significant lift as they move deeper into their conference schedule.