DAVIS, Calif. — Sophomore left-hander Brooke Yanez picked up her fourth shutout of the season in the opener, while junior Marisa Given and sophomore Alyse Rojas each finished with three hits on the day, helping host UC Davis to a split of its first two games at the 2019 Capital Classic on Friday afternoon at La Rue Field.

The 6-0 win in the opener of Santa Clara extended the Aggies' school Division I record winning streak to eight games before they fell in the nightcap, dropping a tense, 2-1, eight-inning contest to Rider, moving them to 19-5 overall on the season.

Having won all 12 of her starts this season, Yanez improved to 13-1 overall on the year, scattering just two hits and striking out eight in the complete-game effort. The communication major from Ventura, Calif., has not allowed an earned run in her last four appearances and a streak of 21.2 innings overall.

Meanwhile, she had the support of a potent UC Davis offense, which slugged three home runs on the day, matching a season high — which also came against Santa Clara at home back on Feb. 8. After an RBI double by freshman Megan Bower, Yanez helped her own cause in the first, depositing a two-run shot over the wall in centerfield for her fourth of the season and a 3-0 lead.

Two innings later, senior Meghan Bradbury launched her team-high sixth home run of the season over the wall in left for the 4-0 lead, and was joined by Alyse Rojas, who hit a two-run shot in the fifth for her second of the year and the final 6-0 advantage.

Bradbury's shot moved her to within one of the school's single-season Division I record of seven shared by Kelly Zboralske and Lauryn Sanders in 2014, while the 20 home runs this season as a team are the most since UC Davis slugged 26 home runs in 2014 and rank third in the program's Division I history behind the record of 28 set in 2008.

Given finished 2-for-3 to finish as one of seven Aggie batters with a hit on the day. The Broncos, meanwhile, mustered only six base runners for the game, stranding four of those in scoring position.

In the second game of the day, it took six innings for either team to get their offense going before Rider pushed across the first run of the game on an RBI single in the sixth, but UC Davis, batting as the visiting team, rallied to tie in the seventh as junior Maddie Rojas' RBI single plated junior Autumn Miller to make it a 1-1 game.

With the international tiebreaker now in effect, the Broncos came through with one out in the home half of the eighth, winning it on an RBI single by Gianna Epps for the 2-1 victory.

Junior right-hander Katie Kibby (5-4) suffered the hard-luck loss, allowing just the one earned run on five hits while striking out seven against a single walk in 7.1 innings of work. Alyse Rojas, who reached base safely for the 14th consecutive contest, finished 2-for-3, while Bradbury, who extended her season-long hitting streak to six games, Given, and Maddie Rojas, all added hits.

Day two of the tournament on Saturday (March 16) has the Aggies taking on Fairleigh Dickinson at Noon, following by a contest against Marist at 2:30 p.m.

A complete tournament schedule is available online at https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2019/1/2/sports-w-softbl-spec-rel-19-capital-classic.aspx.

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.