SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Tigers dropped game one of the Big West series at UC Santa Barbara Friday, 11-3, as the Gauchos' 1B Trevor Whyte drove in five runs on three hits. Sophomore 3B Dustin Torchio (Santa Cruz, Calif.) picked up two hits in the ballgame to take over the Big West lead in batting average.

The Tigers pounded out 11 hits, as eight of the nine Pacific starters picked up base knocks, but UCSB capitalized with 11 runs on 15 hits to improve to 25-25, and 9-13 in the Big West.

Torchio picked up a pair of singles and added a run scored to up his average to a BWC-leading .360. Junior CF Daniel Johnston (Portola Valley, Calif.) added a pair of hits, including his 14th double of the season and his 15th stolen base of the year, to go with two runs scored, Senior LF Matt Carvutto (Poway, Calif.) added a two-for-five day at the dish, and swiped his seventh base of the year.

Freshman C Jason Taasaas (Elk Grove, Calif.) and freshman DH Curtis Gomez (Watsonville, Calif.) each added a hit and an RBI in the contest while junior RF Allen Riley (Fresno, Calif.) drove in a run with his 14th double of the year.

Pacific opened with a run in the second, as Johnston singled, stole second base, and came in to score on a single from Taasaas. But the Gauchos answered back with a run in the bottom of the frame, as Whyte singled and came in on a double from C Bryce Tafelski. 

In the fourth, the Gauchos took a 3-1 lead on a two-run homer by Whyte, a wind-carried homer to right field, for his second round-tripper of the year.

Tigers senior RHP Robbie Richardson (Lodi, Calif.) departed after four innings, giving way to junior RHP John Prato Matthews(Davis, Calif.), but UCSB struck for a four-run fifth. After hitting a batter with one out, Prato Matthews struck out three-hole hitter Joe Wallace for the second out, but 3B Ryan Palermo singled to left and took second on the throw to third, and Whyte delivered a two-run single to stretch the Gaucho lead to 5-1. After a walk to Tafelski, SS Steven Moon hit a double to right to plate a pair of runs and put UCSB on top 7-1 after five.

Johnston doubled to open the Pacific sixth, and Gomez followed with an RBI single. The Tigers looked to have a rally brewing, but UCSB starter Greg Davis caught a break on a stolen base attempt for the first out, and then got outs on his next two pitches to end the inning.

UC Santa Barbara tacked on two more in the sixth, as RF Mark Haddow singled through the right side to plate one, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Whyte.

In the Pacific seventh, Torchio poked a one-out single to left field, and Carvutto followed by slicing a single to right. Riley was jammed on a 2-1 pitch, but fisted it down the third base line and into left field to plate Torchio for Riley's team-leading 36th RBI of the year.

The Gauchos added two in the eighth as 2B Sean Williams hit a solo home run to left off sophomore LHP John Haberman (Stockton, Calif.). Haddow singled and came in to score on a double by PH Ben Edelstein.

Haberman struck out three in his three innings of work, taking over for Prato Matthews after the fifth.

Davis earned the win to improve to 6-5, lasting eight innings allowing three runs on 11 hits. LHP Connor Whalen tossed the ninth, retiring all three he faced.

Pacific falls to 16-36 on the year, 8-14 in the Big West. The series continues Saturday with a 1 p.m. start.