BERKELEY, Calif. — The last time the UC Davis softball team defeated California, not one member of the current roster had been born.

The Aggies changed all that on Wednesday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif.

Sophomore Alyse Rojas' third home run of the season in the top of the seventh cleared the wall in right to break a 1-1 tie, and sophomore left-hander Brooke Yanez struck out 14 in the complete game effort, lifting UC Davis to a 2-1 victory over the Golden Bears at Levine-Fricke Field.

In extending their winning streak to six consecutive games, the Aggies improved to 25-5 overall on the year, defeating California for the first time since a 4-1 decision during the 1978 season and ending a 15-game losing streak against the Pac-12 Conference dating back to a 7-4 win over Stanford on March 4, 2015.

The Golden Bears fell to 20-12 with the loss.

Yanez improved to 16-1 overall with the victory, scattering just five hits and allowing an unearned run in the victory, reaching double digits in strikeouts for the sixth time this season. She struck out at least two batters in six of the seven innings on the day and has not allowed an earned run in her last 40.2 innings of work dating back to a win over San Jose State on March 8.

She worked with her defense to strand eight California baserunners, including three in scoring position, and retired eight of the final nine batters she faced in the game, allowing only a two-out single in the seventh in that stretch.

A Makena Smith RBI single in the fourth broke the scoreless deadlock, plating Karlee Sparacino (who reached on an error) from second base for the 1-0 advantage and putting an end to UC Davis' shutout streak at 37.1 innings, but it didn't last long.

Freshman Sommer Kisling walked with one out and moved to second on Isabella Leon's chopper over the head of Sparacino that made its way down the left field line. That brought up Alyse Rojas, who smoked a single just under the glove of the second baseman, scoring Kisling to tie the game.

Kamalani Dung, in her second inning of relief of starter Alexandra Perez, wriggled off the hook, stranding a pair in the fifth and leaving two more on in the sixth, but Rojas would not be denied in the seventh, launching a 1-1 offering over the wall in right for the one-run advantage and Yanez nailed it down from there.

A pair of strikeouts preceded a single by Amani Bradley to bring up the Golden Bears' leading home run hitter Mikayla Coelho, but Yanez jumped ahead in the count 0-2 before inducing a pop-up to short that Leon squeezed to end the game.

Dung fell to 8-5 with the loss, allowing both runs on four hits, walking three, and striking out seven. Bradley finished with two of the team's five hits to lead the offense. Meanwhile, freshman Megan Bower and junior Autumn Miller also added hits in support of the Aggies' offense, while Alyse Rojas extended her hitting streak to 11 games and reached base safely for the 20th consecutive contest.

After the bus ride home, UC Davis opens Big West Conference play at La Rue Field this weekend, hosting CSUN for a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday (March 30) and a single-game finale on Sunday (March 31). First pitch for both days is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Sunday is Youth Day at La Rue Field as all kids (sixth grade and younger) get in free by wearing their jerseys to the game. Fans can then stick around for an autograph session and free mini clinic with the team following the final out. Tickets are available for purchase online at UCDavisAggies.com.

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.