SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The New Mexico State baseball team dropped its series finale to UC Santa Barbara 7-2 on Sunday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
 
How It Happened
For the third day in a row, UC Santa Barbara (9-12) struck first, this time in the second inning. A lead-off single by the Gaucho center fielder led to the game's first run when he advanced to second on a sac-bunt and took third on a passed ball before scoring on a grounder to second.
 
A lead-off double and walk sandwiched a sac-bunt that put runners on the corners for UCSB in the next frame. Josh Adams then roped a double to center that was misplayed by Marcus Still and allowed the runner from first to score. The very next batter tripled to center to score the third run of the inning before a groundout to short ended things and put NM State in a 4-0 hole.
 
The Aggies (14-11) had chance to cut into the Gaucho lead in the sixth with Still on second with just one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.
 
UCSB added some insurance run in the seventh thanks to a bases clearing single from Colton Burns. A walk to the next batter saw Aggie starter Johnathan Groff's day come to an end. Matthew McHugh continued to be successful in relief, getting the 6-4-3 double play and strike out to keep the Aggies within 6-0 of UCSB.
 
With Cooper Williams and Still on first and second, freshman Joey Ortiz blasted a looping double to left and cut the UCSB lead to 6-2 with one out. However, that was all the Gauchos allowed NM State as the UCSB skipper made back-to-back pitching changes to get the final two outs and end the inning.
 
After getting UC Santa Barbara's Tommy Jew looking on a 3-2 pitch, a single followed by a double down the left line just outside the reaches of a diving Botello made it 7-2 in favor of the bad guys before it held final.
 
By The Numbers
Still was NM State's only baserunner to reach second and be in scoring position until Williams reached second in the top of the eighth…the Aggies were held scoreless for 20-consecutive innings until they scored two runs in the top of the eighth…loss on Sunday gave UCSB its second series win of the year while the Aggies have dropped its second-straight series.
 
Up Next
NM State now returns home for its second contest in a three-game series against Battle of I-25 rival New Mexico this Tuesday, March 28, at 6 p.m. (MT). After its midweek contest against UNM, the Aggies head to the Pacific Northwest for a three-game set against Seattle U for its WAC opener.