Santa Barbara, Calif. — Bakersfield capped its season in spectacular fashion on Saturday afternoon, outlasting UC Santa Barbara 13-12 in a wild back-and-forth showdown at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. The Roadrunners, who trailed on multiple occasions throughout the game, used a five-run eighth inning to storm back and secure one of their most thrilling wins of the year—while also making program history in the process.

UC Santa Barbara struck first when Isaac Kim led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run. The Gauchos added four more in the second behind Jack Holman’s three-run double to build an early 5-2 lead. Bakersfield answered with a solo homer from Cody Hendriks in the third and then surged ahead with a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by Brock Perreira’s RBI single, a fielding miscue, and a daring steal of home by Matt Dobson, which put the Roadrunners up 7-5.

The Gauchos didn’t stay quiet for long. In the bottom of the sixth, Holman crushed a grand slam to center field—his second major swing of the day—giving UCSB a 10-7 lead and bringing his RBI total to seven. But CSU Bakersfield responded once again, this time with a furious rally in the top of the eighth. RBI hits from Louis Zulaica, Elgin Bennett, Matt Dobson, and Noah Alvarez pushed five runs across, flipping the game in Bakersfield’s favor for good. Bennett added a sacrifice fly in the ninth to give the Roadrunners a critical insurance run.

UC Santa Barbara fought back in the bottom of the ninth, scoring twice and putting the tying run at third base, but reliever Alex Urias-Calvillo calmly recorded the final out to notch his first save of the season. Dante Jackson picked up the win in relief with 2.2 strong innings, and Bakersfield out-hit the Gauchos 14-10 in a game that featured momentum swings, timely hitting, and aggressive baserunning.

Along the way, CSU Bakersfield also made history by breaking the program's single-season stolen base record. The Roadrunners swiped four bags on the night—including key steals from Dobson, Alvarez, Pelayo, and Pollard—bringing their season total to 82 and surpassing the previous record of 79.

For the Roadrunners, it was a fitting finale to a challenging season—one that showcased their fight, hustle, and a history-making moment to end on a high note.