Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. -- Four Aggies finished with a pair of hits to help host UC Davis jump out to an early lead, but visiting Hawai'i chipped away to tie things up in the eighth before plating the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly in the 10th, completing a rally from four runs down to post a 6-5 extra-inning win on Friday afternoon at Dobbins Stadium.

The Aggies fell to 8-16 overall and 1-3 in Big West play, while the Rainbow Warriors improved to 14-15 overall and 3-1 in league play despite stranding 16 runners on base -- including nine in scoring position -- for the game.

After Hawai'i tied the game with two runs in the eighth, a one-out single to right by Jacob Sheldon-Collins got the rally started for the visitors in the final frame, and he quickly moved up 90 feet after a pickoff attempt sailed into the stands. A passed ball moved him to third and a walk to Eric Ramirez put runners on the corners for Marcus Doi, who fell behind in the count before lining a ball deep enough to right field to easily score Sheldon-Collins and put the Rainbow Warriors up, 6-5.

With the middle of the order due up in the home half of the frame, UC Davis looked to rally and extend or win the game, but Cody Culp set the side down in order on a pair of fly balls and a ground out to end the game.

Culp (2-1), the last of three pitchers on the day for the Rainbow Warriors, allowed just one hit over the final 4.1 shutout innings of work, retiring the final 11 batters he faced after a single by Mark Cardinalli to start the seventh, and striking out five to earn the win. Starter Brendan Hornung lasted five innings, allowing four earned on eight hits while striking out two in the no-decision.

Sophomore right-hander Blake Peters (3-3) took the loss in relief, allowing the final two runs on six hits over three innings of work. Freshman left-hander Robert Garcia took the no decision, allowing three earned on nine hits while striking out two over six innings.

A Sheldon-Collins RBI single plated Matt LoCoco to open the scoring in the first before the Aggies responded with five unanswered runs over the next two frames to stake Garcia to the early lead.

Tanner Bily walked and scored on Cameron Olson's RBI double three batters later to tie the game, before Olson himself came home on a double by Logan Denholm on the first pitch he saw from Hornung to make it 2-1.

David Langer's lead-off single in the second and a fielding error by the pitcher put two on for the Aggies and Bily, who laced a single to centerfield for a 3-1 advantage. Bily stole second with Jacob Thomas at the plate, and scored just behind teammate Brad Pluschkell when Thomas bounced a double just inside the bag at third to make it a 5-1 contest.

Garcia and the Aggies got out of numerous jams to maintain their lead, stranding runners in scoring position in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings, before Hawai'i chipped away from two runs in the sixth on back-to-back RBI singles by Jonathan Weeks and Sheldon-Collins to make it 5-3.

After leaving runners on first and second in the seventh, the Rainbow Warriors tied the game with a rally in the eighth, opening the inning with three straight singles -- the last by Sheldon-Collins to drive in a run -- to make it 5-4, and plating the tying run on a fielder's choice by Doi with nobody out and runners at the corners.

Bily finished with two hits and scored twice, extending his streak to 15 consecutive games reaching base safely. Cardinalli, Olson, and Langer, also finished with a pair of hits -- including a pair of doubles by Olson to bring his team-leading total to seven on the year -- while Jacob Thomas extended his team-best hitting streak to five games with his second-inning double.

Sheldon-Collins finished 4-for-6 with three RBI for Hawai'i, which also got three hits apiece from LoCoco and Ramirez, en route to an 18-11 advantage in the hit column for the game.

Friday marked the fourth extra-inning game for the Aggies in 2016, falling to 1-3 in those contests, while suffering their sixth one-run defeat of the year.

Game two of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday (April 9) at Dobbins Stadium.

Hawai'i 6, UC Davis 5 (Apr 08, 2016 at Davis, Calif.)
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Hawai'i............. 100 002 020 1 - 6 18 1 (14-15, 3-1 BIG WEST)
UC Davis............ 230 000 000 0 - 5 11 2 (8-16, 1-3 BIG WEST)
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Pitchers: Hawai'i - Hornung, Brendan; Martin, Patrick(6); Culp, Cody(6) and Rios, Kekai; Noworyta, David. UC Davis - Garcia, Robert; Brown, Chris(7); Peters, Blake(8) and Denholm, Logan.
Win - Culp, Cody (2-1) Loss - Peters, Blake (3-3) T-3:03 A-324
Weather: cloudy with a hint of sunshine
Brown faced 1 batter in the 8th.