April 17, 2018
DAVIS, Calif. - A big inning from Sacramento State was more than enough for the Hornets on Tuesday afternoon, as the visitors drove seven runs across in the sixth to break open a one-run game and take the first of two meetings from host UC Davis with an 8-2 win during Tuesday's mid-week matchup at Dobbins Stadium.
The Aggies fell to 10-21 on the season, while the Hornets improved to a 19-16 mark. The two squads are scheduled to meet again on May 8 at 6 p.m. to complete the second half of their home-and-home series at John Smith Field in Sacramento, Calif., as UC Davis will look to snap the Hornets' current two-game streak.
The Aggies threatened in the home half of the first after Ryan Anderson got aboard with a single through the left side, then recorded his fourth stolen base of the season in style-catching the Hornet's pitcher off guard, getting nearly three-quarters of the way to second before the pitch crossed the plate. Anderson went on to finish 1-for-4 on the afternoon, extending his hitting streak to 10 consecutive games.
The Hornets were first to score in the visitor half of the second, leading off with a single from Steven Morretto followed by a double from Andrew McWilliam, and scoring on a groundout from Raul Oritz. But it would prove to be Sacramento State's only run of the inning after junior right-hander Blake Hannah prevented any further damage with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. Hannah would also post inning-ending strikeouts in the third and fourth, en route to tying his career-high six strikeouts.
After making a strong start in the third, striking out two of the first three batters he faced, left-hander Brady Rodriquez ran into trouble in the fourth, as Caleb Van Blake tallied a single to center field and Ryan Hooper smashed one down the left field line for a double. The Aggies then tied things up at one-all with a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Joseph Myers before Cameron Briggs drove in the go-ahead run on a single through the left side, forcing the Hornets to turn to their bullpen to close out the inning.
UC Davis maintained its one-run lead until the sixth inning, when the Hornets began what would be a seven-run effort with an inside-the-park homer by Vinny Esposito to tie the game at two-apiece. Three doubles, three walks, and an error by the UC Davis defense made up the rest of the decisive frame for Sacramento State, including a 3-RBI double from Esposito, who went on to finish 3-for-5 on the day with one run and four RBI.
Hooper and Myers led the Aggies at the plate, each finishing 2-for-3 on the afternoon, while Steven Moretto paced the Hornets finishing 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs and an RBI.
Blake Hannah suffered the loss for UC Davis after allowing five runs on six hits while tying a career-high six strikeouts over five innings of work. Alex Dentoni was credited with the win for the Hornets after allowing just one hit and striking out three over 4.1 innings on the mound.
The fourth Big West series on the UC Davis schedule is set to begin on Friday (Apr. 20) at 2:30 p.m., as the Aggies host the Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara at Dobbins Stadium. The Gauchos are 3-3 in league play, after posting their first series victory over Cal State Fullerton, then dropping their second conference meeting on the road at UC Irvine.
Games two and three of the series are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Picnic Day (Saturday, Apr. 21) and 1 p.m. on Sunday (Apr. 22). Be sure to arrive early to Saturday's game, as the UC Davis baseball program will be honoring its 2008 NCAA Division I Stanford Regional participant team with a pre-game ceremony.
Sacramento State 8, UC Davis 2 (04/17/18 at Davis, Calif.)
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Sacramento State.... 010 007 000 - 8 9 0 (19-16)
UC Davis............ 000 200 000 - 2 7 3 (10-21)
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Pitchers: Sacramento State - Martizia, Travis; Rodriguez, Brady(3); Dentoni, Alex(4);
Dalton, Tanner(9) and . UC Davis - Hannah, Blake; Barraza, Daniel(6); Lara, Andres(6);
Torres, Joseph(8); Moffitt, Brock(9) and .
Win-Dentoni, Alex(4-3) Loss-Hannah, Blake(2-5) T-2:41 A-286
HR SAC - Esposito, Vinny (4).
Weather: Sunny, 58 deg., NNW 6mph
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.
DON'T MISS OUT!
Season tickets for UC Davis softball and baseball are now on sale by contacting the Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1 or by visiting us online at UCDavisAggies.com.
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