DAVIS, Calif. — Senior
Meghan Bradbury finished 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and four RBI on the day, while senior
Katie Kibby and sophomore
Brooke Yanez combined to hold a pair of opponents to eight combined hits, helping lift UC Davis to season-opening wins over Montana and Santa Clara at the 2019 NorCal Kickoff at La Rue Field.
The Aggies handed the Lady Griz a 2-1 defeat in a pitcher's duel in the opener before busting out the bats and slugging their way to a 10-2, five-inning, victory over the Broncos to close out day one. UC Davis won for the fifth time in its last seven season openers and opened a season 2-0 for the fourth time in the program's Division I history — its first since sweeping Santa Clara to start the 2017 campaign.
Wins over Kent State and Loyola Marymount in Las Vegas to start the 2010 campaign also got the Aggies off to an unbeaten start, just one season after defeating Liberty and Fordham to start the 2009 campaign at the Cathedral City Classic.
Day two of the NorCal Kickoff has UC Davis opening against Montana on Saturday (Feb. 9) at noon, before taking on CSU Bakersfield in its second game of the day at 2:30 p.m. A complete tournament schedule is available at https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2019/1/2/sports-w-softbl-spec-rel-19-norcal-kickoff.aspx.
GAME 1: UC DAVIS 2, MONTANA 1
Senior managerial economics major
Katie Kibby allowed just one run and scattered four hits in the complete-game effort, making a pair of third-inning runs stand up as UC Davis won its tournament and season opener by the score of 2-1 over Montana.
After allowing the Lady Griz to plate their lone run in the first, Kibby (1-0) handcuffed the visitors from that point on, allowing only a pair of hits in the sixth inning and retiring six straight at one point from the fourth through the sixth. She struck out one, working around a pair of walks in the win.
Maddy Stensby (0-1) suffered the loss for Montana, allowing a pair of unearned runs on five hits over five innings of work, walking a pair and striking out four.
A bases-loaded hit by pitch plated the first run of the game for the Lady Griz, but that would be the only offense they would be able to muster against Kibby and the Aggies, who stranded three Montana runners in scoring position over the final six frames and eight on base for the game.
UC Davis rallied to tie and take the lead with its only two runs in the third, taking advantage of a two-out error. Singles by human development major
Alyse Rojas and cognitive science major
Isabella Leon set the table for freshman communication major
Megan Bower, whose ball was misplayed by the shortstop, allowing Rojas to easily score from third and tie the score at one apiece.
Senior human development major
Meghan Bradbury then followed with a single down the left field line, driving home Leon with the game-winner after she had advanced to third on the error on the previous play.
Bower, making her UC Davis debut, collected her first career Division I hit with a single in the fifth, finishing as one of five Aggies to collect a hit on the day. Junior psychology major
Marisa Given added her first hit of the season with a single up the middle in the second, while Bradbury reached base twice, adding a fifth-inning walk to go with her base hit.
GAME 2: UC DAVIS 10, SANTA CLARA 2 (5 inn.)
After going toe-to-toe in a pitcher's duel in the opener, the Aggies' offense exploded in the opening day night cap, slugging three home runs as part of a five-inning, 10-2, victory over Santa Clara to close out day one of the tournament.
Junior human development major
Maddie Rojas slugged a second-inning grand slam, Bradbury finished 3-for-3, including a fourth-inning two-run blast, and sophomore communication major
Brooke Yanez ended the Broncos' day early with a fifth-inning walk-off blast to right centerfield, giving UC Davis its first three home-run game since the Aggies slugged four against Cal State Fullerton on May 4, 2014.
Yanez (1-0) earned the win in the circle allowing the two runs on four hits while striking out five, needing only 64 pitches to dispatch Santa Clara over five innings of work. Aubree Kim (0-1) — the first of three hurlers for the Broncos on the day — suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on five hits and falling victim to six walks in just 2.2 innings.
Bradbury, who tied a career high with her 3-for-3 performance on the day, opened the second innings with a single and moved to third following walks to viticulture and enology major
Riley Siegel and Given to load the bases and bring up
Maddie Rojas, who took the second pitch she saw from Kim over the wall in right field for her first home run of the season and a 4-0 lead.
After Santa Clara cut the deficit in half with a pair of runs in its half of the inning, UC Davis broke the game wide open, sending nine batters to the plate as part of a three-run third. Leon's RBI triple scored Bower, who singled, to get things started and Bradbury followed with an RBI single to push the lead back to four. The Aggies then loaded the bases with two outs thanks to a pair of walks around a fielder's choice to bring up
Maddie Rojas, who was hit by a pitch to drive home junior human development major
Autumn Miller and make it 7-2.
Yanez then shut the Broncos down, allowing only an inconsequential walk and a hit batter from the third inning on, while the offense extended its lead. Leon, who was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored, singled with one out before Bradbury hammered an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left for the 9-2 advantage, and then Yanez walked UC Davis off with her first career home run.
Rojas' five RBI are the most by an Aggie since
Ashley Lotoszynski drove in five against Bryant on March 16, 2017, while her grand slam was the first by a UC Davis player since Leon did so against UTEP on Feb. 11 of last season.
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, 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 plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, 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.
