(Interstat) — UC Riverside at UC Santa Barbara Friday, May 15, 2026 Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, Santa Barbara, Calif.

UC Santa Barbara, riding a dominant pitching performance from junior right-hander Jackson Flora, looks to sweep its Big West series Friday afternoon when it hosts UC Riverside at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

First pitch is set for 3 p.m. under cloudy skies with a temperature of 65 degrees.

The Gauchos (35-16) enter the game with a 91.5 percent win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, which projects a 6-4 final score. UC Riverside (15-32) has lost four straight and 10 of its last 11.

Flora, the player to watch for UC Santa Barbara, threw a complete-game shutout Thursday in a 1-0 win over the Highlanders, allowing two hits and striking out 12. In his last four starts, Flora has 44 strikeouts in 29 innings, posting a 1.86 ERA. He also tossed five shutout innings May 1 at Cal State Bakersfield and six innings of one-run ball April 24 against Cal State Fullerton. Flora’s only blemish came May 8 at Cal State Northridge, when he allowed four earned runs in four innings but still earned the win.

UC Riverside will counter with sophomore right-hander Joshua Torres, who also impressed Thursday despite taking the loss. Torres went eight innings, allowing one earned run on zero hits with two strikeouts. However, his two previous starts were less consistent: he gave up six earned runs in 4.1 innings May 8 against UC Irvine, but earlier threw seven innings of one-run, no-hit ball April 17 at Long Beach State and six innings of one-run ball April 24 against Cal State Bakersfield.

The series opened Thursday with a pitcher’s duel won by UC Santa Barbara 1-0. Gauchos catcher Nate Vargas went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. UC Riverside third baseman Jarren Sanderson was 1-for-3, and designated hitter Lucas Bonham went 0-for-4.

UC Santa Barbara has won six of its last seven games, including a four-game sweep at Cal State Northridge (May 8-10) and a midweek blowout of Pepperdine (13-3 on May 5). The Gauchos are averaging 7.7 runs per game during that stretch.

UC Riverside, meanwhile, has lost eight of its last nine, including a three-game sweep at home to UC Irvine (May 8-10) in which they were outscored 37-13. The Highlanders’ only recent bright spot was a 5-3 win over UC Irvine on May 10.

The teams will conclude the three-game series Saturday afternoon at the same venue.