DAVIS, Calif.- Freshman Joseph Myers paced the Aggie offense finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while fellow freshman Tanner Murray knocked in the go-ahead run with a 2-RBI single in the fifth, and freshman right-hander Jared Sasaki recorded a career-high five strikeouts across seven inning of work to help UC Davis secure its first Big West series victory of the season with a 5-3 win over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon at Swimley Field.

The Aggies improve to 12-21 on the season and 5-6 in Big West play, while the Gauchos fell to an even 17-17-1 overall mark with a 3-5 league record.

Freshman right-hander Jared Sasaki was credited with the win for the Aggies after allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out five over seven innings of work, while senior Connor Loar limited the Gauchos to just one hit across two innings of relief en route to his second save of the season.

Jack Dashwood suffered the loss for UC Santa Barbara, allowing four runs on four hits over 4.1 innings on the mound.

Following suit with Friday's opener, the Gauchos were first to get on the board on Saturday afternoon, after Thomas Rowan kickstarted the second inning with his second homer of the season. Three back-to-back singles then brought another run across to give the Gauchos a 2-0 lead over the Aggies.

Two innings later, UC Davis halved UC Santa Barbara's lead, starting off the fourth inning with a trip down to first base on a dropped third strike wild pitch at bat for Murray, who then advanced another 90 feet on a called balk before moving over to third on a sac-bunt from senior Brad Pluschkell. Junior Ryan Anderson then notched his 27th RBI of the season to keep UC Davis within striking distance.

Matching another parallel with the Aggies' 4-3 victory in game one, UC Davis' hits came in bunches, as its offensive momentum continued on into the fifth inning. With runners on the corners, junior infielder Cameron Briggs drove in the tying run on a single through the left side before center fielder Garret Kelly got aboard with a hit-by-pitch at bat-the second of the inning for UC Davis. Murray brought the go-ahead run across the plate with a 2-RBI single to center field, forcing the Gauchos to call on their bullpen to finish out the inning.

UC Santa Barbara continued to battle, however, posting a double and a groundout RBI in the sixth to make it a one-run ball game.

But the Aggies weren't done yet, as Myers led off the home half of the seventh with an infield single, gaining an extra 90 feet on a failed pick-off attempt by the UC Santa Barbara pitcher and moving over to third on a sac-bunt from Briggs. Following another pitching change by the Gauchos, Kelly drove in the insurance run with a double to left center, giving the Aggies a two-run cushion heading into the eighth.

The double marked the fifth extra-base hit of the season for Kelly, who went on to finish 1-for-2 with an RBI.

But the deficit would prove too much to overcome for the Gauchos, resulting in a 5-3 victory for UC Davis.

Myers paced UC Davis as the only Aggie to record a multi-hit effort on the afternoon, notching singles in the fifth and seventh. Thomas Rowan led the Gauchos finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI on two doubles and a homer, while Tevin Mitchell finished 2-for-3 with two singles.

The Aggies secured the series win over the Gauchos for the third consecutive year and will look for the sweep in tomorrow's finale (Apr. 22) at 1 p.m. If successful, it would be the first sweep for UC Davis over UC Santa Barbara since 2010 and the first at Dobbins Stadium since 2005.


UC Davis 5, UC Santa Barbara 3 (04/21/18 at Davis, Calif.)
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UC Santa Barbara.... 020 001 000 - 3 8 1 (17-17-1, 3-5 BWC)
UC Davis............ 000 130 10X - 5 7 2 (12-21, 5-6 BWC)
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Pitchers: UC Santa Barbara - Dashwood, Jack; Clements, Chris(5); Barry, Shea(7) and
Rowan, Thomas. UC Davis - Sasaki, Jared; Loar, Connor(8) and Denholm, Logan.
Win-Sasaki, Jared(3-4) Save-Loar, Connor(2) Loss-Dashwood, Jack(2-6) T-2:31 A-721
HR UCSB - Rowan, Thomas (2).
Weather: Sunny, 77 degrees, N 4mph


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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