Box Score

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - UC Davis jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning during Wednesday's Causeway Cup matchup at Shea Stadium, but it was the host Hornets who scored the final three runs, with the last taking place in the bottom of the seventh inning that snapped a tied score to give Sacramento State a 5-4, walk-off win.

UC Davis will now enter this weekend's league series against Cal Poly with an overall record of 13-20; Wednesday's result pushes Sacramento State's record to 18-19.

Victorious in its first two meetings, and intent on capturing a three-game, single-season sweep over their Causeway counterparts, UC Davis started strong when Alexis Carney drove in Christa Castello, and Brianna Warner, on her double to center during the Aggies' inaugural set of at-bats.

When Sacramento State pitcher Caitlin Brooks mishandled a pop fly, Ashley Lotoszynski scored from third on a play that would have otherwise ended the inning.

Even though the Hornets trimmed the Aggies' lead to one by scoring twice in the bottom of the second, Kelly Zboralske nearly extended UC Davis' advantage when her team returned to the plate.

The third baseman led off with a hard-hit fly, deep to left center that forced Paige Martin to sprint towards the fence. Mother Nature must have donned green and gold that inning because a strong wind that blew towards the plate, from left center, was the only thing that kept the ball inside the park. What would have been a surefire solo home run in any of the following innings, when the wind died down or disappeared completely, turned into the first out of the frame when Martin squeezed her glove while simultaneously crashing into the fence.

Three innings later, UC Davis was able to successfully push its lead to a 4-2 margin when Jasmine Lee scored from third on Warner's chopper to Sacramento State's second baseman. Instead of making a play at first, the Hornets decided to throw home in an attempt to record the final out.

Lee scored standing up and Warner reached first on the Hornets' unsuccessful attempt.

With two outs in the bottom half of that same inning, Sacramento State pulled even when Paris Prado hit a double that rolled to the wall in center field. Scoring on the play were two of her teammates, who originally reached on a single down the left field line and an Aggie miscue.

Sacramento State struck again in the following inning, scoring the game-winning run on Alexa Chattleton's walk-off triple to the gap in left center.

Able to draw a leadoff walk, Nicole Clark prevented her team from losing all three of this year's rivalry games when she raced around the diamond and narrowly beat the throw home.

UC Davis last recorded a single-season three-game sweep over the Hornets in 2011; by scoring the decisive run, Clark prevented the Aggies from doing so again this year.

In the first meeting of the season between the two at the Fresno State Kick-Off, in early February, UC Davis scored twice in three of the first four innings to top Sacramento State, 6-2. One month later when the Hornets visited La Rue Field, the Aggies earned a 9-1, run-rule win in five innings.

UC Davis will return to its home diamond this weekend when Cal Poly visits for a three-game series. Saturday's doubleheader, and Sunday's series finale, will start at 12 p.m. Live stats for all three games versus the Mustangs, and links for KDVS' (90.3 FM) simulcast of both Saturday games are available at ucdavisaggies.com.



Sacramento State 5, UC Davis 4 
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UC Davis.................. 300 001 0 - 4 8 1 (13-20)
Sacramento State.... 020 002 1 - 5 9 1 (18-19)
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Pitchers: UC Davis - Munden, Leah; Reynolds, Andrea (3); Cruse, Dana (4); Vela, Justine (5); Paine, Alicia(6) and Robertson, Katie; Carney, Alexis. Sacramento State - Brooks, C.; Yerby, K. (6) and Solis, K.; Prado, P..

Win-Yerby, K.(2-0) Loss-Munden, Leah (8-8) T-2:11 A-148
HR SAC - Martinez, A..
Weather: Partly cloudy, low 60s, breezy