DAVIS, Calif. — Senior managerial economics major Caleb Van Blake put UC Davis on the board early with an inside-the-park home run in the second and led all Aggies with a 3-for-4 finish at the plate. But a late two-run effort by the Wolf Pack in the top of the ninth would prove too much to overcome, lifting Nevada to a 5-4 win over UC Davis on Tuesday afternoon at Phil Swimley Field.

Redshirt junior Logan Denholm also chipped in a solo home run to move the Aggies within one in the sixth, while an RBI-double off the bat of junior Cooper Morrison served as the equalizer later that inning. 

The Aggies fell to 3-1 on the season, while the Wolf Pack improved to a 3-1 mark. UC Davis will kick off its road schedule against Arizona State beginning this Friday (Feb. 22) at 5:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. MT. The series is slated to continue on Saturday (Feb. 23) at 5:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. MT and conclude on Sunday (Feb. 24) with first pitch scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. MT. 

Junior Steve Ouellette (0-1) suffered the loss for the Aggies after allowing a pair of runs on three hits and striking out one over one inning in his debut appearance on the mound for UC Davis. Redshirt sophomore Tim Wieser logged his first career start, allowing three runs on six hits over three and two-thirds innings, tying a career-high three strikeouts. 

Bradley Bonnenfant (1-0) was credited with the win for Nevada after providing the Wolf Pack with one and two-thirds innings of scoreless, hitless relief. 

UC Davis was first to get on the board on Tuesday afternoon, scoring a run in the bottom of the second for the fourth-consecutive game. With two outs in the books, a deep shot to center field by Van Blake paired with a misjudgment by the Nevada center fielder resulted in a trip all the way around the bases for the Benicia, Calif.-native—his first of the season—to give the Aggies a 1-0 advantage. 

But the Aggies' lead was short-lived after the Wolf Pack put up three runs in the fourth. Two doubles and a single gave Nevada the 2-1 lead, while a throwing error by the UC Davis defense brought the final run of the inning across the plate. 

Nevada maintained its 3-1 lead until the bottom of the sixth when a round tripper by Denholm—his first of the season—and an RBI-double by Morrison—his third of the season—allowed the Aggies to erase the two-run deficit. The Aggies would then take the lead back two innings later after junior Alejandro Lara and Van Blake got things started with back-to-back singles through the right side. A sacrifice fly by senior Garret Kelly would then give the Aggies a 4-3 lead heading into the ninth. 

One out away from defeat, Nevada managed to pull a run back thanks to a double by Bosetti before coming around to score himself on a single by Shrum to give Nevada its second lead of the afternoon, 5-4. But the Wolf Pack's late rally would prove too much to overcome for the Aggies, resulting in a 4-5 heartbreaker for UC Davis. 

UC Davis will kick off its road schedule against Arizona State beginning this Friday (Feb. 22) at 5:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. MT. The series is slated to continue on Saturday (Feb. 23) at 5:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. MT and conclude on Sunday (Feb. 24) with first pitch scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. MT. 


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. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, 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 plant and animal programs.

AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.

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