STANFORD, Calif. - Binghamton baseball outscored third-seeded UC Santa Barbara (44-13) from the fourth inning on but the 20th-ranked Gauchos struck early and eliminated the Bearcats (22-30) from the NCAA Regional with a 9-4 decision at Stanford's Sunken Diamond. Binghamton outhit the Big West champions and scored four of the game's final five runs but couldn't dig out of an 8-0 deficit. 

With the loss, BU's championship season comes to an end. The Bearcats reached the NCAA Regionals for the fifth time in program history - fourth time in the last nine years. Sent to the only regional among 16 that featured three teams with 40 or more victories, BU battled against two nationally-ranked opponents with one of the youngest lineups in the country. The Bearcats had four freshmen starters and six underclassmen among its nine-man lineup. 

"I couldn't be more proud of this team, which wasn't supposed to be here," head coach Tim Sinicki said. "There's been a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries, a lot of things we didn't expect to happen ... and to have the young guys perform the way they did, and then to have a fifth-year senior like Jake (Evans) do the things he did on the field and lead behind the scenes. That's the reason we are here. We did a good job representing the University and we showed people we have some talent and can play some pretty good baseball. I'm excited to see where this program can get to in these next few years."

Freshman second baseman Nick Roselli had another big day at the plate. One day after going 4-for-5 with a home run, Roselli went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run. He finished his first NCAA Regional appearance by going 6-for-8 with two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored. Roselli also recorded eight assists with no errors at second. Over the last two months of the season, Roselli hit .330 with 20 RBI in 28 games. 

Freshman catcher Evin Sullivan also turned heads with his play. On Saturday. Sullivan went 3-for-4 with a double. He went 6-for-9 with an RBI and two runs scored in the two games. In his last 20 games, Sullivan hit .457 with 24 RBI and finished his outstanding first collegiate campaign with 70 hits (.365) and a team-high 42 RBI. 

Meanwhile, senior shortstop Jake Evans concluded his stellar five-year collegiate career in style. Evans delivered a single to center in the seventh inning to extend his school-record hit streak to 25 games. The America East Championship Most Outstanding Player finished his final season with a .381 average - the second-highest mark in BU's 22-year Division I era. During the record-setting hit streak, which began on April 15 and spanned seven weeks, Evans hit a remarkable .467 with 16 RBI.   

"To replace a guy like Jake will be difficult," Sinicki added. "He's been a starter for five years and those are not easy to find."

The Gauchos used the long ball to jump ahead early. A two-run home run fueled a three-run second inning that put UCSB ahead to stay. Then in the third, they added a three-run home run and five runs to build an 8-0 cushion. 

The Bearcats got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Roselli led off with a single and Sullivan followed with a double to left field. Two batters later, freshman third baseman Devan Bade brought in a run with a groundout and sophomore first baseman Andrew Tan hit an RBI single to make it 8-2. 

After UCSB added another run in the sixth, BU plated the final two runs of the game in the eighth. Freshman center fielder Logan Haskell led off with a double and Roselli followed with his fourth home run in the last six games and eighth of the season. Like his solo shot from Friday against No. 2 Stanford, this one was another rocket that cleared the scoreboard in right center. 

Binghamton outscored UCSB 4-1 over the final six innings but couldn't complete the comeback. The Gauchos did their damage on just six hits, as they were stymied over the final 6.1 innings by relievers Jack Collins (4.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run) and Justin Rosner (2.0 IP, no hits). Collins made his BU-record 25th appearance of the season and lowered his season ERA to 2.17. Opponents hit just .179 off him all spring. Rosner, who closed out BU's America East title with two scoreless innings, finished his sophomore season with four hitless and scoreless postseason innings.