Category: keyt-local-news

Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Alejandro Garza smashed a two-run seventh-inning home run 382 feet over the left-field wall to give Cal Poly its first lead and Nick Bonn earned his seventh save as the Mustangs rallied from behind for the ninth time this season in a 5-4 victory over UC Davis on Sunday inside Baggett Stadium.

Trailing 4-2, Coach Larry Lee’s Mustangs scored three times in the seventh on an RBI double off the bat of pinch-hitter Xander McLauren and Garza’s eighth career home run as a Mustang on an 0-1 pitch from Noel Valdez to overtake the upstart Aggies.

Bonn, who pitched 1 2/3 innings the day before, throwing 44 pitches, allowed a one-out hit to Trevor Howard in the ninth but nothing else for a one-inning save, thanks in part to a pair of dazzling defensive plays by the Mustangs to close the game.

With its 10th straight victory, Cal Poly clinched its third straight Big West series and improved to 8-0 in conference play and 14-7 overall by producing double-digit hits for the sixth straight game and ninth in its last 11 contests.

UC Davis fell to 9-11 (4-4 Big West).

The visiting Aggies jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second inning as Joey Wright doubled to right-center field, driving in two, and Zach Story singled down the right-field line for the third tally.

Cal Poly closed the gap to 3-2 with single runs in the second and third frames. Gavin Spiridonoff’s triple to the gap in left-center field in the second frame and Cam Hoiland’s single to left in the third made it a one-run game.

Tyler Howard homered leading off the fifth inning, his second of the year for a 4-2 UC Davis advantage, setting the stage for the heroics of McLaurin and Garza in the seventh.

Mustang starting pitcher Corden Pettey went six innings on the mound in his third career start, allowing four runs and eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts. His Whitney High School (Rocklin, Calif.) teammate, Brady Estes (2-0), earned the victory with two scoreless innings of one-hit baseball and Bonn closed it out in the ninth, giving him two saves in each of Cal Poly’s three Big West series so far this season.

In the ninth, Howard beat the throw from shortstop for an infield hit with one out before Elijah McNeal’s blooper into shallow right field was fielded on a hop by Cam Hoiland. Hoiland alertly threw the ball to second base to force Howard for the second out. Kai Mault then hit a grounder up the middle which was flagged down by Nate Castellon behind second base and he flipped the ball backward to Garza covering the bag for the final out of the game.

The loss went to Valdez (1-3), who was facing Cal Poly for a third time as a starter for UC Davis. After going 3.0 and 4.2 innings the last two years against the Mustangs, suffering losses in both games, Valdez pitched into the seventh inning Sunday and scattered a dozen hits while giving up all five Cal Poly runs.

Garza, who had four hits in Saturday’s 12-11 Mustang victory, added three more hits Sunday and is 7-for-8 with a walk in the series so far. Hoiland also finished with three hits, his hitting streak going to nine games, while Casey Murray Jr. extended his hitting streak to 11 games with two singles. Spiridonoff added a single and triple.

During the winning streak, Murray is hitting .465, Hoiland .432, Spiridonoff .429, Ryan Tayman .378, Dante Vachini .367, Nate Castellon .364, Braxton Thomas .333 and Garza .319. In conference games only, Murray sports a .514 mark, Hoiland .429, Spiridonoff .406 and Castellon .400.

As a team, Cal Poly is hitting .352 in its winning streak and .356 in Big West contests.

UC Davis was led at the plate by Howard with a home run and two singles.

Cal Poly’s 10-game winning streak, the longest for the Mustangs since the 2022 squad won 13 in a row in the final month of the season, is the third-longest active winning streak in the nation. UCLA (15) and Southeast Missouri (13) both won Sunday while Auburn saw its 12-game streak come to an end against Texas.

At 8-0, the Mustangs lead UC San Diego (5-1) by two games in the Big West standings. UC Santa Barbara, CSUN and Cal State Fullerton all sport 5-4 conference marks, tied for third place, while UC Davis (4-4) is sixth.

Final game of the series will be played Monday at 1 o’clock. Cal Poly will send junior right-hander Carson Turnquist (2-0, 1.40 ERA) to the mound against UC Davis freshman southpaw Jack Pezzolo (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

Over the last two weekends, Turnquist has pitched five or more innings in relief for victories against Hawai’i and Cal State Bakersfield. Pezzolo has pitched four scoreless innings against Texas, two scoreless frames versus UC Riverside and 2 2/3 innings without giving up a run against UC Santa Barbara, all as a starter.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

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Tracy Lehr

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) Surfers shared wave after wave during the 27th Rincon Invitational off the coast of Carpinteria.

More than 20 organizations, including Third World Surf, Ventura Educators, Waves of Grief, Ventura Makos, OLAS Foundation, Surfrider Foundation, Rincon Pit Crew, and Betty Belts took part.

“It is really an opportunity to share the stoke of surfing with people who don’t get to surf Rincon very much, but they get to be a part of our event thanks to their public service efforts and recognition of the things they have done, to kind of take the selfish out of surfing,” said event organizer and Surfrider Foundation founder Glenn Hening.

The California Adaptive Surf Team is a great example.

Members focus on what they are able to do in a place that may be difficult to access.

“It was awesome, I didn’t think I would be able to surf this break again, but with the help of friends and this organization of people and the family coming out to help, it is just awesome.,” said DJ Lombardo.

He has not let a motocross crash keep him down.

“This is a once a year opportunity for me to come back, I grew up surfing hear able-bodied but then I became paralyzed and didn’t know if I was going to be able to surf again and this has given me an opportunity another chance redeeming myself coming back to my childhood fun,” said DJ Lombardo, ” It is such a freeing feeling and it fills my heart and soul.”

Hening said efforts to make the path and viewing area accessible for wheelchairs have hit roadblocks, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the future if Carpinteria surfers support efforts.

Surf legends including Shaun Tomson and Jericho Poppler also took part in the Rincon Invitational.

“This is the Groundswell surfing benefit fundraiser, team event so everyone goes out and they are not competing, it is not about that, it is about sharing waves and thinking about all the good stuff that we do for for intracoastal research, and cultural wellness and awareness of surfing,” said Poppler.

All of the money raised goes to scholarships and protecting the surf environment.

For more information visit https://groundswell-society.org

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Pitcher Kellan Montgomery and batterymate Nico Libed powered UCSB to a 5-1 win over Hawai’i as the Gauchos snap a 4-game losing streak and avoid a home sweep.

The Former Dos Pueblos High School star Montgomery struck out the first two batters of the game on his way to working 5 strong innings allowing just one run.

“I thought Kellan set the tone for the day,” said UCSB head coach Andrew Checketts. “Coming out in that first inning, had his best stuff and was attacking, I think he set the tone for the day on the mound. We talk a lot about when we’re at home, that first blow we can land is defensively. Starts on the mound, and then he really set the tone coming out, striking out the first two guys and getting after it a little bit.”

Catcher Nico Libed took advantage of his opportunity, reaching base in all five plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases and a pair of runs scored. He also threw out a runner trying to steal.

(Lineup change by Andrew Checketts helps Gauchos avoid 3-game sweep. Entenza Design).

“Nice job by Nico, right? He’s hitting .140 and we stuff him in the two hole, just the way the matchup was working, we thought we’d get some on base out of him against a guy that has a little loose command, and he did what he was supposed to do,” Checketts said. “He got deep in counts, got on base what, four, five times, he walked once, so that was a big game for him. We needed him to step up and he did.”

“We went on that skid for a little bit, those last couple games but we didn’t lose faith in our guys, trusted everyone,” Libed said. “We were just getting a little antsy there the last couple games, we just had to stay grounded, stay present, make them come to us and hammer pitches that we could handle, and that’s what we did today.”

Jonathan Mendez had the big hit on the day, a 2-run single in the third to put the Gauchos up 3-0. He finished with 3 RBI.

Reliever Van Froling notched his first career save working 3.2 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball with 6 strikeouts.

“(Froling) got a lot of outings last year, has had a lot of potential, he was nicked up to start the year, but he’s capable of doing that,” Checketts said. “We all believe that he’s capable of doing that, so that was a nice outing for him. Hopefully he can build on that.”

UCSB is now 5-4 in the Big West and 15-6 overall.

The Gauchos begin a stretch of 5-straight nonleague games against strong competition Saint Mary’s, Oregon and USC.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) The Santa Barbara International Orchid show wrapped up on Sunday.

People enjoyed displays that matched the orchid escape theme.

One near the entrance by Westerly Orchids, looked like a wave of orchids.

Visitors took plenty of pictures.

Some people took tours, while others watched demonstration.

Dozens learned how to pot and care for their orchids.

Many people shopped to bring some home.

Judges at the show at the Earl Warren Showgrounds gave out ribbons and trophies for the the best of the best.

Orchid societies from throughout California took part and invited visitors to join their organizations.

For more information visit https://sborchidshow.com

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – An offensive outburst leads to a milestone win for Gauchos head coach Jo Evans.

UCSB softball scored double-digit runs in each game of a doubleheader sweep over UC Riverside to give Evans career win #1,400.

Evans rankes #2 in victories among NCAA Division 1 active coaches and 7th all-time.

The Gauchos beat the Highlanders 14-4 and 11-1 as they improve to 9-0 in the Big West and 18-15 overall. Evans also racked up win #100 with the Gauchos.

Bella Fuentes was the hitting star for UCSB in both games. She was 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBI in the opener and then belted two more home runs with 5 RBI in game 2.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Maria Police arrested several people for firearm possession this weekend.

The first came at 200 W. Williams Street where three teen boys walked, one of them being a gang member, according to the SMPD.

SMPD officers patted down the three boys and found one of them with an unserialized handgun before arresting him for weapons violations.

The second set of arrests came just after 11:30 p.m. Friday when SMPD officers conducted patrol with several gang members.

Officers found a shotgun in a car at 1000 N. Railroad at Atkinson Park and took various suspects into custody without incident.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Maria Police arrested two armed people for ongoing safety concerns over the weekend.

The first threatened people while drunk at a local residence with a knife. SMPD officers arrived to find the adult male shirtless and holding a pair of scissors, trying to fight the residents.

SMPD officers then took the man into custody and safely resolved without any injuries.

The second person arrested tried to prompt officers into using deadly force against him while he held a knife, according to the SMPD.

SMPD officers began to evacuate family members from the home just after 1:30 a.m. earlier this morning during the incident.

SMPD officers then heard a loud noise from the home and entered the house to detain him.

First responders gave the man medical attention and took him to a hospital for a mental health evaluation without injury to anyone, according to the SMPD.

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – It was another fantastic Friday start for UCSB ace pitcher Jackson Flora. However the Gauchos finish was forgettable as they lost at home 2-1 to Hawai’i.

Flora pitched seven innings of 1-hit, shutout ball and he tied his career-high with 12 strikeouts. The only hit he allowed was an infield single to third by Kamana Nahaku.

But for the first time this year the Gauchos did not win a game that Flora started who is 5-0 on the year and lowered his ERA to 0.94.

UCSB took a 1-0 lead into the top of the ninth inning but a throwing error by second baseman Cade Goldstein allowed the tying run to score and Elijah Ickes singled in the go-ahead run off of reliever Cole Tryba.

The Gauchos lone run came in the second inning on a wild pitch.

They managed just 3 hits off Hawai’i starter Isaiah Magdaleno who worked 8 innings and improved to 3-1.

UCSB has dropped three straight games to fall to 4-3 in the Big West and 14-5 overall.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – The historic Lompoc Theatre’s renovation project is moving at full speed, recently boosted by the Chumash Foundation.

Contractors are busy giving the building more than just a facelift, they’re giving it a new skeleton.

From the outside you can see fresh lumber on the roof, and inside the walls are being scaffolded up to code.

Local actors, musicians, directors and technicians are excited to make it their new home.

The theater building will be used for several kinds of events from plays and movies to concerts, comedy nights, business seminars, weddings, and more.

Project leaders say additional foundations have donated, and that the Chumash Foundation’s grants have been vital in setting the stage.

“They were the first to step up and support us in a major way,” says Mark Herrier, the Lompoc Theatre Project’s Executive Director. “They have literally been the foundation of this recent run up. And their commitment showed others.”

“It has been proven nationally that, you restore a local theater and the entire area comes back to life,” says Anne Ramsey, Lompoc Civic Theatre’s Treasurer.

The black box theatre, an 80-seat venue enclosed to the stage is expected to open early next year and run a season during the final phase of construction on the auditorium.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – For the first time ever, Santa Maria’s weekly entertainment event “Downtown Fridays” is moving out onto a city street.

Set to begin its 11th year next week, Downtown Fridays has been held since its inception at the Santa Maria Town Center West shopping center parking lot, next to large building that was the former home of Mervyn’s and Fallas department stores.

Now, the event is shifting close by, about a block east to South McClelland Street, between East Cook Street and East Boone Street.

“We’ve actually been trying to move here for seven years because having an event on the street always trumps having it in a parking lot,” said Ed Carcarey, who created Downtown Fridays in 2016 and remains as the event coordinator. “I’ve always loved doing events on the street, so we’re pretty excited about being able to come out here on McClelland, and I think McClelland is a great backdrop to put an event.”

The new location will be about 200 yards long and run on the street between the Santa Maria Public Library to the site of the old Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) building, which closed last year.

After being located in a parking lot for 10 years, the street location will mark a dramatic change for the layout of the event that features a wide variety of food, entertainment and other vendors.

“It’s a better presentation,” said Carcarey. “People feel more comfortable out on the street than they do a parking lot. That’s why we’ve wanted to move to this street for seven years.”

For vendors, such as Miguelito’s BBQ owner Ariana Gonzalez, who has been part of the Downtown Fridays since it was created, they’re hoping the move will attract more visitors.

“I think it’s going to be a great move,” said Gonzalez. “It’s going be more like a street fair. It kind of reminds me of San Luis Obispo on Thursdays, Farmer’s Market. We kind of get that vibe over here on this side as well.”

Downtown Fridays will start its 2026 season next Friday, March 27 and will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each Friday for 27 straight weeks through Sept. 25.

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