AUSTIN, Texas (Interstat) — UC Santa Barbara and Tarleton State meet Sunday evening at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in a playoff game that carries postseason elimination stakes. First pitch is scheduled for the afternoon, with the winner advancing and the loser’s season ending.

The Gauchos (39-19) hold a slight edge in the win column. The Texans (38-20) took the most recent meeting between the teams, an 11-5 victory Friday at UC Santa Barbara. Both squads enter after lopsided outcomes Saturday: UC Santa Barbara routed Holy Cross 15-1, while Tarleton State lost 16-2 to Texas.

UC Santa Barbara will hand the ball to right-hander Jackson Flora, who has been dominant over his past four starts. The junior tossed a complete-game shutout against UC Riverside on May 14, allowing two hits and striking out 12. In his most recent outing Saturday, he surrendered one earned run over 7 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts. Flora enters with a 9-0 record over his last five decisions.

Tarleton State counter with reliever Conner Doucet, who has been effective in short stints. The right-hander has not allowed a hit in any of his past four appearances, spanning 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames against Texas on Saturday, though the game was out of hand early.

The Gauchos’ offense showed pop Saturday, with catcher Nate Vargas homering and driving in five runs and third baseman Xavier Esquer going 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Tarleton State third baseman Raphael Smeenk went 1-for-3 with two RBIs in the loss to Texas.

The Interstat game simulator projects UC Santa Barbara winning 7-6 in a close contest. The weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-80s at game time.

The two teams have split their previous meetings this season. Tarleton State won the first matchup Friday. UC Santa Barbara has won four of its last six, while Tarleton State has dropped two of three.