DAVIS, Calif. - Visiting Northern Colorado jumped out to a 5-2 advantage over UC Davis following a 40 minute rain delay in the top of the fourth, then held off a ninth inning rally by the Aggies to even the series with a 6-4 victory over UC Davis. The second game of Saturday's doubleheader was suspended due to darkness with the Bears holding a 6-2 advantage after five full innings at Dobbins Stadium.

The two teams will resume with the top of the sixth inning on Sunday (Mar. 18) at 10:30 a.m. The teams will then follow up with their regularly scheduled game set to begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

UC Davis fell to a 5-10 mark overall, while Northern Colorado improved to 12-7, collecting 11 hits on the day to even the series at one win apiece.

After the Bears went quietly in the top of the first, UC Davis took control follwoing an RBI groundout by Caleb Van Blake that gave the Aggies a 1-0 advantage.

The second and third innings would each see a lead change, as the Bears jumped ahead, 2-1, after a four-hit effort in the top of the second, before the Aggies answered back with a run of their own in the third off an RBI groundout by Ryan Anderson, evening the score at 2-all.

The Bears would bring one across in the top of the fourth before a rain delay forced a 40 minute intermission. Play resumed with one out and the bases loaded for the Bears, but a 2 RBI-double made it a 5-2 game in favor of Northern Colorado before the end of the inning.

An RBI double in the fifth gave the Bears a four run advantage, but the Aggies got the run back in their half after Matt Smith led off the inning with a single up the middle, crossing the plate on an RBI-single from Anderson.

After both teams remained silent at the plate for three consecutive innings, the Aggies began a two out rally in the bottom of the ninth looking to erase their three-run deficit. Pinch hitter Colton Evans singled up the middle, then moved to second on a single through the left side by Guillermo Salazar. Back-to-back walks brought one across for UC Davis to get the Aggies to within two, but a second strikeout by Connor Leedholm halted the rally, lifting the Bears to a 6-4 victory.

Freshman Tanner Murray finished 1-for-4 extending his hitting streak to five games with a single in the fourth. Jack Pauley finished 3-for-4 while scoring two runs to pace the Bears.

In total, the Aggies stranded seven on the base paths for the game, of which five were in scoring position. Meanwhile the defense kept the Northern Colorado offense in check stranding 10 on the base paths, six of those in scoring position.

Chris Brown (1-3) suffered the loss for UC Davis allowing five runs on seven hits, and striking out four in 3.1 innings of work.

Karver Pate (2-0) was credited with the win for Northern Colorado after allowing one run on two hits, and striking out two across 2.2 innings of work on the mound, while Connor Leedholm recorded his fifth save of the season providing the Bears with one inning of scoreless, hitless relief.



Northern Colorado got off to a strong start in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, taking a 4-0 lead after nine Bears came to the plate.

The Aggies responded with a two-run effort in their half after a walk, an error, and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Aguiar, who singled to third for an RBI. UC Davis brought across its second run of the inning with an RBI on a fielders choice by Murray, who also singled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to six consecutive games.

The Bears would bring runs across in the second and fourth to take a 6-2 lead over the Aggies, a score that remained through the fifth inning until the two teams agreed to suspend play as darkness descended.

The Aggies and the Bears will meet on the diamond tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m., resuming play where they left off in the top of the sixth inning, before continuing with their regularly scheduled game set to begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

Northern Colorado 6, UC Davis 4 (03/17/18 at Davis, Calif.) (Game 1)
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Northern Colorado... 020 310 000 - 6 11 0 (12-7)
UC Davis............ 101 010 001 - 4 7 1 (5-10)
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Pitchers: Northern Colorado - Lum, Keenan; Pate, Karver(1); Mulvaney, Justin(4);
Nakakura, Corey(8); Leedholm, Connor(9) and Kiel, Alex. UC Davis - Brown, Chris;
Wieser, Tim(4); Erwin, Brett(5) and Roberts, Houston.
Win-Pate, Karver(2-0) Save-Leedholm, Connor(5) Loss-Brown, Chris(1-3) T-4:02 A-168
Weather: cloudy, 51 deg., S 8mph

ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 6-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and animal science programs.

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