Feb. 15, 2013
Box Score
DAVIS, Calif. - Senior outfielder Mike Mazzara clubbed a pair of doubles and drove in three runs while Craig Lanza fired 3.2 scoreless relief innings to lead UC Davis in an 8-4 win over Washington during season-opening collegiate baseball action at Dobbins Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 478 Friday afternoon.
Mazzara was one of four Aggies with two hits, delivering his two-baggers to left in the first and sixth innings. Right fielder John Williams, third baseman Paul Politi and designated hitter Nick Lynch each finished 2-for-5. That UC Davis foursome occupied the Nos. 2-5 spots in the batting order.
Lanza entered the game in the sixth in relief of starter and winning pitcher Harry Stanwyck. After surrendering an RBI single to Husky left fielder Joe Meggs, Lanza silenced the Dawg bats by retiring eight straight into the ninth frame. The sophomore from Danville finished with 3.2 shutout innings, the one hit, one walk and two strikeouts in earning his first collegiate save.
Washington got three of its nine hits from leadoff batter Jayce Ray, who singled in the first, third and fifth innings. Austin Voth took the loss, working 5.1 innings while getting touched for eight hits and four earned runs. He also battled UC Davis batters deep in counts to a total of 112 pitches.
The Aggies never trailed in the contest. Mazzara slashed a two-run double to left in a three-run opening inning. Ty Afenir doubled and Ray singled in the third to help UW cut the margin to 3-2, but UC Davis nudged its lead back to three runs in the fourth. Williams and Politi each hit RBI singles to plate Spencer Brann and Evan Heptig, respectively.
The Huskies again closed the gap to a single run with two more in the sixth. First baseman Trevor Mitsui opened the top half with a single then Alex Schmidt's double to right put two in scoring position against Stanwyck. UW catcher Ryan Wiggins lifted a short fly to Mazzara in left, just deep enough to bring in Mitsui. Lanza replaced Stanwyck and allowed the inherited runner Schmidt to score when Meggs poked a hard grounder through the middle.
However, that proved to be the closest the Huskies came to equalizing. Lanza coaxed a ground out to finish the sixth, then sent Washington down in order in the seventh and eighth. Mazzara and Lynch each drove insurance runs in bottom half of that sixth stanza, then Politi's drive to the left-center gap scored Heptig in the seventh to bring the tally to 8-4.
Washington finally put a runner on in the ninth when Meggs walked. But Lanza retired Afenir and Ray on routine grounders to close out the win.
This marks the second straight year UC Davis has opened the year with a win over a Pac-12 Conference member. The Aggies blanked Utah by a 3-0 final to launch their 2012 season.
UC Davis and Washington continue a four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday. Game times are 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available through tickets.ucdavis.edu.
| Washington (0-1) | 002 | 002 | 000 | - | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| UC Davis (1-0) | 300 | 202 | 10x | - | 8 | 12 | 2 |
Austin Voth, Troy Rallings (6), Trevor Dunlap (8) and Ryan Wiggins. Harry Stanwyck, Craig Lanza (6) and Spencer Brann. Win - Stanwyck (1-0). Loss - Voth (0-1). Save - Lanza (1).
Hitters - UW: Jayce Ray, 3x5; Robert Pehl, 1x4, 2B, RBI; Trevor Mitsui, 1x4; Alex Schmidt, 1x4, 2B; Will Sparks, 1x3, RBI; Joe Meggs, 1x4; Ty Afenir, 1x4, 2B. UC Davis: Tino Lipson, 1x5; John Williams, 2x5, RBI; Paul Politi, 2x4, 2B, 2 RBI; Mike Mazzara, 2x5, 2 2B, 3 RBI; Nick Lynch, 2x5, RBI; Kevin Barker, 1x4, RBI; Spencer Brann, 1x3; Evan Heptig, 1x3.
