Santa Barbara, CA--UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara combined for just 12 hits Saturday afternoon, but it was the 19th-ranked Gauchos who parlayed their hits into a 2-1 victory over the Highlanders.
Ricky Delgado (1-8) went six innings for UC Riverside allowing just six hits and two walks, but UC Santa Barbara strung together two of those hits and a walk in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead.
Two singles sandwiched around a wild pitch plated the Gauchos (37-17-1, 13-10) second run in the bottom of the fourth, and as it turned out, that was all the offense they would need.
The Highlanders (25-29, 11-12) scored their lone run of the game in the top of the ninth when Drake Zarate ripped a two out home run over the right field wall.
UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara play the rubber game of their three-game series, as well as the final regular season game of the year for both squads, on Saturday, May 28 beginning at 1 pm PT.