Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis freshman left-hander Robert Garcia struck out a career-high nine batters over seven innings to earn his first career win, while Cameron Olson and Ryan Anderson each added a pair of hits on the day, helping lift the Aggies to a 6-2 win over the Air Force Academy in the series opener on Thursday at Dobbins Stadium.

The win moved UC Davis to 6-10 overall on the season, snapping a three-game losing streak and end a run of six straight games decided by a single run. The Falcons fell to 10-5 overall with the loss, managing only four hits against a trio of Aggie hurlers on the day.

Garcia (1-1) was stellar in only his second career start, retiring six straight hitters on three different occasions and striking out at least one hitter in six of his seven innings, including striking out the side in the fifth. Despite giving up his first earned run in 28 innings of work, Garcia allowed only three hits and walked just one en route to the win.

The nine strikeouts gave him a team-high 38 for the season, while Thursday's total surpassed his previous high of seven set against San Francisco in relief back on March 1.

Nick Biancalana (1-2) suffered the loss for Air Force, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out five in five innings of work.

The Aggies scored two runs each in the second, fourth, and sixth innings, making some noise early after a quiet first innings. Olson led-off the frame with his first double of the season to right center, bringing up Anderson, who scorched the second pitch he saw over the wall in left for a 2-0 lead. It was the second home run of the year for the freshman, who later singled and scored a run.

Air Force got a run back in the third on a single by Spencer Draws, but the Aggies got two more an inning later as Olson's second double of the game plated Tanner Bily, who walked, and freshman Logan Denholm found space past a drawn-in infield on the left side to score Olson for a 4-1 lead.

The Falcons halved the Aggies' advantage once again with an RBI double by Adam Groesbeck in the fifth, but UC Davis quickly bounced back in its half of the sixth, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring two on an RBI single through the infield by Mason Novak and a bases-loaded walk to Guillermo Salazar to cap the scoring.

Freshman Blake Hannah pitched a perfect eighth on three ground balls in relief before giving way to sophomore Blake Peters in the ninth, who allowed a two-out infield single before getting another ground ball to close out the game.

Six different Aggies collected hits on the day as four of the team's eight hits went for extra bases. Draws finished 2-for-4 to pace Air Force.

Game two of the series will be played on Friday (March 25) at 2:30 p.m. with junior RHP Justin Mullins scheduled to take the mound for UC Davis.

UC Davis 6, Air Force 2 (Mar 24, 2016 at Davis, Calif.)
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Air Force........... 001 010 000 - 2 4 0 (10-5)
UC Davis............ 020 202 00X - 6 8 2 (6-10)
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Pitchers: Air Force - BIANCALANA, Nick; DEVRIES, Jacob(6); HARGREAVES, Matt(8) and
WILKIE, Travis. UC Davis - Garcia, Robert; Hannah, Blake (8); Peters, Blake (9) and Denholm, Logan.
Win- Garcia, Robert (1-1) Loss-BIANCALANA, Nick(1-2) T-2:27 A-158
HR UCD - Anderson, Ryan (2).
Weather: high 60s, clear, sunny