Baseball Returns Home To Host UC Santa Barbara For Three-Game Big West Series

April 26	6:00 pm PT	vs. UC Santa Barbara	LHP, Dylan Stuart	Game Notes	Listen Live	Live Stats	Purchase Tickets
April 27	6:00 pm PT	vs. UC Santa Barbara	LHP, Ben Doucette		Listen Live	Live Stats	Purchase Tickets
April 28	1:00 pm PT	vs. UC Santa Barbara	TBD		Listen Live	Live Stats	Purchase Tickets

Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team returns home this weekend looking to snap a five-game losing streak as the Highlanders host UC Santa Barbara for a three-game Big West Conference series.

UCR let a close game slip away from it on Tuesday night as a lead-off solo home run in the bottom of the 11th gave the San Diego Toreros a 3-2 victory (box score/recap). That came on the heels of a three-game sweep at UC Davis, and loss at home to UNLV that ended the Highlanders 11-game home winning streak.

Clayton Prestridge continues to pace the UCR offensive attack, as he brings a 15-game-hitting streak and a slash line of .348/.444/.417 into the weekend. Joe Chavez is the team's top power threat with a .516 slugging percentage and 15 extra base hits.

Dylan Stuart (3-4, 4.24) and Ben Doucette (2-3, 4.82) have been two of the Highlanders' three weekend starters all season long, and will get the nod on Friday and Saturday against the Gauchos. Sunday is listed as TBD, however, as UC Riverside has been without the services of starters Mitch Patito and Jacob Smigelski for the past several weeks due to injury. Mark Garcia (3-4, 5.59) and Donovan Gonzales (0-5, 8.05) have filled in the starting rotation of late, and Zach Varela picked up his first start as a collegian in Tuesday's loss at San Diego where he received a no decision after 3.1 innings of scoreless work.

The Gauchos are 21-18 on the season following a 12-4 win over San Diego on Wednesday. They are 6-6 in the Big West with 2-1 series wins over Cal Poly and Long Beach State, and 2-1 losses to Cal State Fullerton and Hawai'i.

UCSB is coached by Andrew Checketts who served as the Highlanders pitching coach for seven years. The Gauchos bring a 4.16 ERA into the week. RHP Austin Pettibone (5-2, 2.60) and LHP Justin Jacome (3-3, 4.71) have been the mainstays of the staff this season with 10 starts apiece, but no other Gauchos pitcher has more than four starts to their credit. Pettibone is UCSB's Friday starter, with Jacome taking the ball on Saturdays. Robby Nesovic (1-2, 6.75) got the start last Sunday.

Offensively, the Gauchos have a slash line of .261/.353/.351 and have scored the fourth fewest runs in the league. Santa Barbara has two regulars batting better than .300—Woody Woodward (.327/.424/.449) and Nesovic (.333/.412/.461), who serves as the team's DH when he isn't toeing the rubber.

UC Riverside is 24-16 all-time against the Gauchos, but UCSB took two of three from the Highlanders a year ago and have won three of the last four meetings between the clubs (View All-Time Results).

Baseball Returns Home To Host UC Santa Barbara For Three-Game Big West Series

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