SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-The Wichita State softball team fell to 1-2 on the season as UC-Santa Barbara beat the Shockers, 5-1, in their third game of the Gaucho Classic.

Heather Gerritse led the Shockers going 2-for-3 at the plate. Brittney Osborn picked up her sixth RBI of the tournament, recording at least one RBI in each of the Shockers' first three games.

Freshman pitcher, Sloan Anderson, got her first career start in a Shocker uniform. She went 4.0 innings giving up six hits and five run; she picked up two strikeouts.

UC-Santa Barbara got on the scoreboard first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the third inning.  Both McKenizie Kane and Kathryn Pilpil  both reached by error.  Jessica Beristianos singled to right field to bring home Kane, and then Jennings followed that up with another single to right to score Pilpil.  The Gauchos claimed a 2-0 lead at the end of three innings of play.

The Shockers answered right back in the top of the fourth scoring one run to narrow the gap, 2-1. Jamie Hull walked to lead off the inning and then Heather Gerritse singled to right center. Brittney Osborn drove in Hull with a sacrifice fly out to left field.  Osborn has recorded an RBI in each of the Shockers' first three games of the tournament.

The Shockers loaded the bases in the top of the fifth on two hits from Erin Carney and Rachel Milnark, but wasn't able to convert on any runs. The Gauchos capitalized with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth and scored three runs to push the lead out to 5-1 over the Shocks. UCSB scored three runs off of four hits and left one runner on base.

UC-Santa Barbara held onto the 5-1 lead and took down the Shocks in the second meeting of the two teams. The Shockers return to action Saturday evening against Seattle University.  First pitch is set for 5:15 p.m. Central Standard time.

-Wichita State-