June 6, 2016
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – UC-Santa Barbara is headed to the Super Regionals for the first time in program history — and if Austin Bush stays as hot as he was this weekend, the Gauchos might be going well beyond that.
Bush and his UCSB teammates completed an undefeated run through the Nashville Regional on Monday by rolling past Xavier 14-5 at Hawkins Field.
Bush helped propel the win by banging out three hits, including a three-run homer — his third of the Regional and 10th of the season — that helped fuel a nine-run fourth-inning outburst by the Gauchos (40-18-1). Bush was named the Nashville Regional’s MVP.
The Gauchos’ next stop will be in Louisville for the Super Regionals.
Xavier (32-30) jumped out to an early lead by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but the Gauchos took control by putting together their nine-run, 12-batter rally in the fourth that featured the three-run homer by Bush and another three-run shot by Clay Fisher.
UCSB collected just four hits in the inning, but took full advantage of two Xavier errors, along with two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
UCSB starter Joe Record (6-5) earned the win, allowing three runs, all earned, on five hits in five innings. He walked six and struck out two. Xavier’s Greg Jacknewitz (1-7) was saddled with the loss after being charged with six runs, only two earned, in 3 1-3 innings.
Xavier’s Nate Soria went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs, and David Morton had two hits and scored a run.
The top four batters in the UCSB lineup combined to go 10-for-21 with nine runs and nine RBIs. Leadoff hitter Andrew Calica was 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs, Fisher was 3-for-6 with a homer and four RBIs, Devon Gradford had one hit and scored two runs, and Bush went 3-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
JJ Muno and Kyle Plantier added two hits and one RBI each.
2016 Nashville Regional All-Tournament Team
MVP – Austin Bush, UCSB
C – Daniel Rizzie, Xavier
1B – Austin Bush, UCSB
2B – Chris Givin, Xavier
3B – Rylan Bannon, Xavier
SS – Caly FIsher, UCSB
OF – Matt Fallon, Xavier
OF – Andrew Calica, UCSB
OF – Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt
DH – David Morton, Xavier
P – Noah Bremer, Washington
P – Justin Kelly, UCSB
