Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Starting with Lauryn Saunders' two-out, first inning home run in Sunday's Big West series finale at La Rue Field, UC Davis scored in four of the first five innings played. However, a seventh-inning surge from Cal State Fullerton turned an Aggie advantage, into a one-run deficit in a game that UC Davis dropped by a 7-6 score.

UC Davis will enter its final weekend series of the season, starting Friday at Hawai'i, with an 18-28 overall record and 6-12 mark against league teams. Cal State Fullerton will enter its final games of the year, against CSUN, with records of 32-21 and 10-8. 

Next weekend's games against the Rainbow Wahine are the final ones for Krista Bava, Jasmine Lee and Amy Nunez - three seniors who competed at La Rue Field for the final time in Sunday's rubber game.

Saunders brought the Aggie fans to their feet early by hitting a line-drive shot over the fence in left field. Fullerton's left fielder did not bother to move a step in any direction, as everyone in attendance knew where the ball would eventually land once it left Saunders' bat.

Saunders was one of three players who recorded a team-high two hits; she finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, both earned on her second home run of the season.

Brianna Warner and Bava were the other two Aggies; both finished 2-for-4 and scored twice, the latter also drove in one run.

The middle three innings featured a back-and-forth battle that saw each team score in its respective half.

Following a Cal State Fullerton sacrifice fly in the top of the third, Alexis Carney drew a six-pitch, bases loaded walk to push the Aggies' lead back to its original two-run cushion.

After the Titans scored on another sacrifice fly in the following frame, UC Davis responded by scoring another run of its own.

Reaching base on a leadoff single to left field, Bava bumped the Aggies' lead back to two when Christa Castello slapped a single down the left field line. Placing herself in scoring position during the previous at-bat when Lee singled to center field, UC Davis led 4-2 once Bava touched home plate. 

For the third consecutive inning, Fullerton pulled within one after scoring again in the top of the fifth, but saw UC Davis bounce back by scoring twice once the Aggies returned to the plate.

Back-to-back singles from Carney and Kelly Zboralske set up softball's final scoring opportunity of the day. UC Davis' first run of the inning was earned on a Bava single, which allowed Carney to score from second.

As the inning progressed, Castello forced in another run on a bases loaded walk after winning a eight-pitch battle against Titan pitcher Desiree Ybarra. That base on balls, one of four drawn against three different CSF pitchers, increased the Aggies' lead to 6-3 at the time.

That score remained untouched until the Titans pushed four runs across the plate to take a 7-6 lead, its first of the afternoon, in the top of the seventh.

A Fullerton walk, and single to center, helped the Titans score their first run of the inning with a Missy Taukeiaho double setting up the game-changing play.

With runners at second and third, the Aggies committed an error on Courtney Rodriguez' single; that one miscue allowed Rodriguez to clear the bases and score herself, turning a 6-4, UC Davis lead into a 7-6 CSF advantage and the game's final score.

UC Davis will return to action on Friday, May 8, when softball visits the islands for its season-ending series at Hawai'i. A free internet video stream and live stats are available for all three games starting with Friday's 9 p.m. (PT) / 6 p.m. (HT) doubleheader. Saturday's season finale will begin at 4 p.m. (PT) / 1 p.m. (HT), video and stats links for each game are available at ucdavisaggies.com.



Cal State Fullerton 7, UC Davis 6 
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Cal State Fullerton. 001 110 4 - 7 11 1 (32-21, 10-8 BWC)
UC Davis................ 201 120 0 - 6 10 1 (18-28, 6-12 BWC)
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Pitchers: Cal State Fullerton - Rivera, Cerissa; Washington,Christina(2); Ybarra, Desiree(4) and Padilla, Kylie; Colenzo, Sydney.
UC Davis - Munden, Leah; Cruse, Dana (7) and Saunders, Lauryn.
Win-Ybarra, Desiree (10-6) Loss-Munden, Leah (10-13) T-2:10 A-368
HR UCD - Saunders, Lauryn (2).
Weather: Mid-70s, clear skies, #GoAgs