Around the horn: Gauchos edge the Ducks 7-5 to earn a series split

UC-Santa Barbara defeated Oregon 7-5 to earn a series split this weekend at PK Park.

Oregon Ducks baseball coach Mark Wasikowski would have probably signed up for a four-game split with UC-Santa Barbara before the weekend. But after winning the first two games, a split doesn’t seem so great.

The Gauchos won the final two games, including today’s 7-5 decision from the Ducks, who fell to 7-5 on the season.

UCSB scored three in the first inning and seemed to have an answer for every Duck rally throughout the day. Oregon did eventually tie the game 4-4 in the fifth, but the Gauchos homered in the next frame.

It was also the second game in a row where the Oregon starting pitcher didn’t have a stellar afternoon. Tommy Brandenburg could just get through two innings, walking two and plunking two others. The bullpen did their best to hold the Gauchos down as much as possible, but they have to cover 15 innings over the last two contests and it finally caught up with them.