SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Two strong pitching performances and clutch hits throughout Saturday's non-conference doubleheader at SCU Softball Field helped UC Davis open the season with a sweep as the Aggies followed their 2-1 win with a 2-0 victory at Santa Clara.

UC Davis will enter Wednesday's Farm vs. Farm rivaly matchup with a 2-0 overall record, while Santa Clara will continue its season at 0-2. Including Saturday's result, the Aggies have won 12 of 14 head-to-head games, as a Division I program, against the Broncos.

UC Davis' offense wasted no time in scoring its first runs of the year by scoring twice in the first inning of its season opener. With two outs, Christa Castello reached base on an error committed by Santa Clara's shortstop; Alexis Carney, the very next batter, joined her teammate on base with her single to right.

With two Aggies on base, Ashley Lotoszynski hit a double to right, which plated the only runs Andrea Reynolds needed to collect the victory.

UC Davis' starting pitcher spent all seven innings in the circle and did not allow an earned run. Reynolds struck out two, did not allow a walk and earned the Aggies' first win of the season thanks to a spectacular fourth inning.

Santa Clara opened the bottom of that inning with two runners in scoring position, and zero outs, thanks to a single and double in back-to-back at bats. With the Aggies leading 2-0 at that time, and the Broncos threatening to pull even, or chop that lead in half (at the very least), the senior right-hander led her team out of that jam by forcing a ground out to third, a swinging strikeout and a pop fly to center.

That was the most dangerous Bronco scoring opportunity of game as the Aggies never let them generate another dangerous scoring opportunity throughout the final three innings.

The events that took place throughout the day's second game nearly matched that of the first with three slight changes: UC Davis scored both of their runs in the fifth, and it was freshman righty Katelyn Kibby who went the distance, and recorded a shutout in her first-ever Division I appearance.

Kibby befuddled the Broncos all game long; after recording their first hit in the bottom of the first, the Broncos did not record another one until there was one out in the seventh.

In the top of the fifth, Alex Sotomayor opened the frame with a single to third, then advanced to second on a Santa Clara error. Taylor Peters not only beat the throw to first on her bunt to third, Sotomayor placed herself 60 feet away from scoring on that play.

Sotomayor scored the first run of the game, and Peters took third, by stealing second moments before Santa Clara was called for an illegal pitch.

Castello pushed Peters home on a ground ball to second, doubling the Aggies' one-run lead in the process.

With UC Davis leading 2-0, Kibby's pitching, and her teammates' defense, protected that score until the final outs were recorded on a game-ending double play.

Before the Aggies compete in their first tournament of the season next weekend, they will host Stanford in Wednesday's home opener at La Rue Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

UC Davis 2, Santa Clara 1 (02/11/17 at Santa Clara, Calif.) (Game 1)
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UC Davis............. 200 000 0 - 2 5 1 (1-0)
Santa Clara......... 000 010 0 - 1 5 1 (0-1)
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Pitchers: UC Davis - Reynolds, Andrea and Carney, Alexis. Santa Clara - VIERRA and BARNARD.
Win-Reynolds, Andrea(1-0) Loss-VIERRA(0-1) T-1:43 A-0
Weather: 54 degrees and cloudy


UC Davis 2, Santa Clara 0 (02/11/17 at Santa Clara, Calif.) (Game 2)
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UC Davis............. 000 020 00 - 2 7 1 (2-0)
Santa Clara......... 000 000 0X - 0 2 2 (0-2)
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Pitchers: UC Davis - Kibby, Katelyn and Carney, Alexis; McInnes, Taiya. Santa Clara - KIM and
BARNARD; RUSSELL.
Win-Kibby, Katelyn(1-0) Loss-KIM(0-1) T-1:51 A-247
Weather: 56 degrees and sunny