DAVIS, Calif. - Junior managerial economics major Katie Kibby went the distance to record a complete-game shutout in the first of two games that took place on Saturday at La Rue Field, sophomore communication major Brooke Yanez and senior community & regional development major Sara Cadona combined to throw another shutout in the back-half of the Aggies' Capital Classic doubleheader,  and the team improved its overall record, heading into Sunday's tournament finale, to 21-5 thanks to a 5-0 victory versus Fairleigh Dickinson and a 6-0 result over Marist.

Thanks to Saturday's sweep, no UC Davis team in its Division I era collected 20 wins quicker than this squad.

GAME ONE: UC DAVIS 5, FAIRLEIGH DICKNSON 0
Junior psychology major Marisa Given provided all the offense UC Davis needed against Fairleigh Dickinson when she turned on a 2-1 pitch and launched a solo home run to right field, which gave the Aggies a 1-0 lead.

That blast capped an outstanding second inning, which began with a brilliant heads-up defensive play that ultimately ended the Knights' most dangerous scoring opportunity of the day.

On an attempted double steal, Holly Mercier was caught in no-(wo)man's land between home and third, and tried to return back to the bag, only to see her teammate, Serena Meehan, run from second to third on the play. Had Mercier just remained at third and watched Mercier steal second, FDU would have had two runners in scoring position with no outs recorded.

Once Meehan stood on third, Mercier ran out of options, and was quickly tagged by Aggie catcher (viticulture & enology major) Riley Siegel. Shortly thereafter, Kibby recorded one of her six strikeouts on the day, followed by a pop fly to junior cognitive science major Isabella Leon at short to force FDU to strand a runner on third.

After a scoreless third inning, UC Davis hung two on the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings to pull away and open their doubleheader with a victory.

In the fourth inning, sophomore human development major Alyse Rojas trotted home on Yanez' sacrifice fly to center, which doubled the Aggies' one-run lead at that time. Senior human development major Meghan Bradbury, who initially reached base on a double to left center, scored two batters later on a single from Siegel. 

The following frame saw freshman Sommer Kisling hit a single to right field, and score two pitches later when Leon smacked a triple to the gap in right field, which allowed her to take third standing up. Leon's hustle led to the Aggies' final run since the only play during the following at-bat was to first base, a throw that Bradbury beat to thwart FDU's attempt to end the fifth inning. 

While her teammates were busy building a lead, Kibby dominated all seven innings in the circle, allowed only four hits and one walk to earn her sixth win of the season. 

GAME TWO: UC DAVIS 6, MARIST 0
UC Davis' dominant pitching carried over to the second game of the day when Yanez and Cadona gave up only three hits combined to a Marist team that saw only two runners reach scoring position.

Caroline Baratta was the only Red Fox to reach base while Yanez was in the circle; her single through the left side of the infield was the only thing that prevented the Aggie southpaw from posting five innings of no-hit softball. 

Yanez, who improved her record to 14-1, fanned eight batters before Cadona entered in the top of the sixth and threw two stellar innings herself in relief. 

Junior psychology major Alexis Villalobos scored the Aggies' inaugural run when she sprinted home on a wild pitch thrown by Marist starter Brooke Peterson in the third inning. Given drove in a run in the fifth on her single to left, but it was a four-run fourth that helped UC Davis pull away from the Red Foxes.

Yanez reached base on a fielder's choice, and was joined by Rojas on the ensuing at bat when she hit a single to right field. Given's double to center allowed both of her teammates to score; she eventually plated the third run of the inning on Villalobos' single up the middle. After stealing second, Rojas' double to left center allowed her teammate to score the final run of the frame.

UC Davis will host Rider in the Capital Classic's final game, which is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. at La Rue Field. 


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.