SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos erupted for a six-run third inning and never looked back, cruising to a 13-3 victory over the Saint Mary’s Gaels in a nonconference baseball game Tuesday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

The win improved the Gauchos’ record to 13-2, while the Gaels fell to 9-6. The result defied a pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a narrow 8-7 Saint Mary’s victory, though the same service’s ELO system gave UC Santa Barbara a 68.4% probability to win.

The most important sequence of the game came in the bottom of the third inning, transforming a 3-3 tie into a commanding Gauchos lead. After Noah Karliner walked, Jonathan Mendez doubled him home to break the tie. Mendez later scored on Colin Beazizo’s RBI single, prompting a Saint Mary’s pitching change.

Reliever Finn Chapman entered for the Gaels and was greeted by a run-scoring double from William Vasseur. After a walk and a double steal, Rowan Kelly’s groundout brought in another run, capping the six-run outburst that gave UC Santa Barbara a 7-3 advantage. The Gauchos sent nine men to the plate, capitalizing on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to seize control.

Vasseur, named the top star for UC Santa Barbara, delivered the game’s biggest hit two innings later. In the sixth, with two runners on, he hammered a ground-rule double to plate two more runs, part of a five-run frame that put the game out of reach. He finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs, continuing a strong stretch that included a 3-for-3 performance against Loyola Marymount on March 3.

Karliner provided the initial offensive spark for the Gauchos in the first inning. After Saint Mary’s had jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the frame, his three-run homer to left field off Gaels starter Jake Nobles immediately erased the deficit and set the tone for the offensive onslaught.

Mendez also had a multi-RBI day, going 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs. The Gauchos’ 12-hit attack was supported by a parade of six pitchers who combined to limit Saint Mary’s to three runs on 10 hits while striking out 13.

Saint Mary’s catcher Ian Armstrong was a bright spot in the loss, going a perfect 3 for 3 with a triple and a run scored. The Gaels scored their first run on a wild pitch in the second inning and added another in the third on an RBI double from Jacob Johnson, but they struggled to string hits together against the Gauchos’ bullpen.

UC Santa Barbara relievers Van Froling, Raymond Olivas, Chase Hoover and Stunner Gonzalez combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings to close out the game. Gonzalez, the final pitcher, struck out two in a perfect seventh inning.

The Gauchos continue their season with a three-game road series at UC Davis starting Friday. Saint Mary’s heads to Phoenix for a weekend tournament, facing Rice and Grand Canyon. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Moraga on March 24.