SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — A surging UC Santa Barbara squad looks to continue its dominant start when it hosts struggling Long Beach State in a Big West Conference baseball series finale Saturday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

The Gauchos (9-2) have won eight of their last nine games and opened the three-game set with a shutout victory Friday. The Dirtbags (4-8) have lost five of their last six, including a 10-13 road defeat at San Diego State on Wednesday.

First pitch is scheduled for under clear skies with temperatures near 66 degrees.

UC Santa Barbara’s strength has been its pitching staff, which boasts a 2.35 team ERA. A key contributor is reliever Josh Jannicelli, who has been nearly untouchable. In his last two appearances, totaling 7 2/3 innings, he has allowed just two hits and one earned run while striking out 14 batters. He earned the win in Tuesday’s 11-1 rout of Loyola Marymount with four strong innings.

Long Beach State will rely on the hot bat of third baseman Dylan Lina to spark its offense. Lina is coming off a massive performance in the midweek loss at San Diego State, going 3 for 5 with two home runs and seven RBIs. For the season, he leads the Dirtbags with three homers and 12 RBIs.

The teams’ trajectories have sharply diverged. The Gauchos have outscored opponents 77-28 over their last nine games. Meanwhile, Long Beach State pitchers have allowed 10 or more runs in four of the team’s eight losses this season.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-3 victory for UC Santa Barbara.

Following Saturday’s contest, the series concludes Sunday. The Gauchos then host Saint Mary’s on Tuesday. The Dirtbags travel to face Southern California on Tuesday before opening a home series against Hawaii next Friday.