A frustrating two-week road swing came to an agonizing end for the Hawaii baseball team.

The Rainbow Warriors squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in a tie game in the top of the ninth inning and then allowed the winning run to score without a hit to lose 5-4 to No. 17 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The Gauchos (29-10-1, 8-4 Big West) completed a three-game sweep of Hawaii (18-23, 7-8), which has lost eight of nine since briefly taking over sole possession of first place in the conference.

Hawaii went 1-6 on a seven-game road trip and, in a matter of 16 days, has dropped from first to a tie for sixth place in the nine-team league.

“Santa Barbara is by far the best team we played all year and our kids played their (butts) off but came up a little bit short,” Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said.

Jacob Sheldon-Collins went 4-for-5 to raise his season average to .411 and scored on an Eric Ramirez sacrifice fly in the fifth inning for a 4-2 lead.

UCSB scored two runs off Hawaii starter Alex Hatch in the sixth inning to tie the game and the score stayed the same until the ninth.

Sheldon-Collins singled for his fourth hit between walks by Matt LoCoco and Kekai Rios to load the bases with one out.

Noah Davis (4-2), who walked Rios intentionally after coming on in relief, got Marcus Doi to ground into a double play to set himself up for the win.

The Gauchos closed the series with the first earned run given up by Hawaii reliever Matt Valencia all season.

Valencia, who fell to 3-1, walked Ryan Clark, who then stole second with nobody out. A bunt moved Clark to third base and Michael McAdoo hit a fielder’s choice to shortstop that Sheldon-Collins got home in time but Rios couldn’t make the tag.

UCSB got the leadoff runner aboard in each of the final four innings.

“That’s the shame because it’s a play that’s got to be made but that wasn’t the game,” Trapasso said. “We made a couple of mistakes and Santa Barbara is a good enough team that it’ll get you beat.”

Rios finished 2-for-2 with a double and two walks and Alex Fitchett was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Second baseman Ethan Lopez notched his first collegiate home run in the fourth inning with a solo homer off UCSB starter Kyle Nelson, who gave up four runs on nine hits in five innings.

Hawaii had 11 hits to UCSB’s seven.

Hatch gave up three earned runs on six hits in 5 2⁄3 innings for UH.

Valencia and Cody Culp combined to give up only one hit over the final 22⁄3 innings but Valencia issued two walks.

The earned run charged to Valencia increased his ERA to 0.45.

“It feels like we just handed it to them but the reality is our guys really competed and grinded it out and just came up short,” Trapasso said.

Hawaii returns home where it will play nine of its final 12 games.

UH will host Long Beach State on Friday, which completed a three-game sweep of Cal Poly on Sunday, and is 1 1⁄2 games back of first-place Cal State Fullerton.

BIG WEST BASEBALL

*—overall record includes tie

Sunday

UC Santa Barbara 5, Hawaii 4

Long Beach State 4, Cal Poly 1

CS Fullerton 7, UC Irvine 2

UC Riverside 6, CSUN 0

**UC Davis 9, Pacifc 5

Tuesday

**UC Irvine at UNLV

**Sacramento State at UC Davis

**Pepperdine at UC Santa Barbara

**CS Fullerton at San Diego State

**Santa Clara at Cal Poly

**UCLA at Long Beach State

**—nonconference

NO. 16 UC SANTA BARBARA 5, HAWAII 4

Note: 1 out, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.

E—Lopez, Hatch. DP—UCSB 1. LOB—Hawaii 10, UCSB 8. 2B—Weeks, Rios, Fitchett. 3B—Muno. HR—Lopez. HBP—Rios, Grover. SH—Doi, Calica 2, Fredrick, Fisher. SF—Ramirez, Fisher. SB—Sheldon-Collins, Grover, Clark.

WP—Nelson, Davis. HBP—by Nelson (Rios), by Hatch (Grover). PB—Rios. Umpires—(Plate): Bradley Hungerford. (First): Chuck Lyon. (Third): Bill Barnes. T—2:57. A-400.