IRVINE, Calif. --- A tight game opened up from six 6th-inning runs by UC Santa Barbara to take the 9-4 Saturday victory in Anteater Ballpark over UC Irvine.

The Gauchos (16-14-1, 3-2) struck first again with a second-inning sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. UCSB added to it in the fourth inning as a two-out flare to short left field fell in as Christian Koss fightin the sun to score two and make it 3-0, UC Santa Barbara, in the fourth.

UCI (19-14, 4-4) finally woke up the bats in the bottom half loading the bases up and getting a gift run on a HBP, but couldn't muster up anything else and remained behind, 3-1.

The pitching took over with scoreless fifth and sixth innings mostly thanks to starters Chris Lincoln and Taylor Rashi who were each able to limit each opposing offense - Rashi scattering nine hits in his five innings of work, and Lincoln working around four walks and three HBP in 5.2 innings.

The battle of the bullpens ensued with UCSB getting to the 'Eaters' all in the seventh inning scoring six times on four hits. The Gauchos got hits from their first four hitters in the inning to drive out Cole Spear, and capitalized on a throwing error and three free passes between Chris Vargas and Alonzo Garcia to build a 9-1 advantage.

UC Santa Barbara's bullpen bent but never broke allowing single runs in the final three Anteater frames on RBI hits from Nick Anderson and Parker Coss and a groundout by Mike Peabody, but the Anteaters left 16 runners on base on the afternoon which proved to haunt them in the end of a 9-4 defeat.

The Gauchos didn't fare much better stranding 14 runners, but connected on 16 hits including a 4-for-5 day from Drew Williams driving home two, scoring twice, and doubling. Four other Gauchos had multiple hits on the afternoon and eight in all scored a run. Lincoln grabbed the win, his second this season, topping Rashi who fell to 3-3.

UCI got two-hit days from Jake Palmer and Nick Anderson. Ryan Fitzpatrick reached base four times, three from walks and one on a hit by pitch as he's now reached base eight times in 10 plate appearances on the weekend. His streak of three straight games with a home run did end Saturday.

The 'Eaters are back to an even 4-4 mark in the Big West and will search for their 20th win of the year tomorrow as it looks to capture its second straight conference series win at 1:00 p.m. with right-handers Trenton Denholm and Stevie Ledesma squaring off.