SAN JOSE, Calif. — UC Davis opened its trip to the Bay Area with a pair of victories on Friday afternoon, sweeping past Northern Kentucky and host San Jose State to close out day one of the 2019 Silicon Valley Classic II at the Spartan Softball Field.
The two wins moved the Aggies to 15-4 overall, extending their winning streak to three while posting a win for the ninth time in their last 11 contests. The Norse fell to 4-9 overall, while the Spartans fell to 10-8.
Senior
Meghan Bradbury and sophomore
Alyse Rojas each homered and combined to drive in six runs on the day, while freshman
Megan Bower added three hits, a double, and drove in a run, to highlight the offense on day one.
UC Davis continues tournament play on Saturday (March 9) beginning at 9 a.m. against Weber State in San Jose, Calif., followed by the finale against Nevada at 4:30 p.m. in Santa Clara, Calif.
GAME 1: UC DAVIS 3, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 0
Senior left-hander
Sara Cadona and junior right-hander
Katie Kibby combined to carry a no-hitter into the sixth inning before settling on a two-hit shutout, while sophomore
Alyse Rojas slugged her first home run of the season for the only runs the Aggies would need in a 3-0 victory over Northern Kentucky.
Cadona faced the minimum through three innings, surrendering only a walk before a double play ended the third, while Kibby (4-3) finished out the win, holding the Norse hitless until an infield single in the sixth, striking out a pair over the final four innings en route to the win.
The duo combined to allow only four baserunners on the day, stranding a pair in scoring position, as UC Davis posted its fourth shutout of the year — three of those coming in the last five games.
A walk to senior
Meghan Bradbury set the stage in the second for Rojas, who launched a ball over the wall in left centerfield for the 2-0 lead. The Aggies tacked on another run in the third as junior
Isabella Leon reached on an error to lead off the inning and back-to-back singles by
Megan Bower and
Autumn Miller loaded the bases.
Bradbury then rolled a ball to short, enough to score Leon from third for the 3-0 advantage.
UC Davis, which out-hit Northern Kentucky by a 6-2 count for the day, also received a pair of hits from Bower and
Marisa Given to help power the offense.
GAME 2: UC DAVIS 6, SAN JOSE STATE 5
The Aggies scored early before having to hang on late, stranding the tying run on third base with a one-run lead in the seventh to scratch out a 6-5 victory over the host Spartans.
Sophomore left-hander
Brooke Yanez (10-1) won her 10th consecutive start — and earned a win in her seventh straight decision — striking out seven in the complete-game effort.
UC Davis jumped out early and threatened to run away with the contest after scoring six times in the first four innings, staking themselves to a 2-0 lead on an RBI double by Bower and a sacrifice fly by Bradbury. San Jose State answered with a run in the second before Bradbury got it back with two outs in the third, launching her fourth home run of the season for a 3-1 advantage.
Capitalizing on a pair of miscues in the fourth, the Aggies extended their lead to 6-1, scoring three times. Sophomore
Riley Siegel and junior
Maddie Rojas reached on one-out singles to start the rally before a pair of errors on the left side of the infield scored both, plus
Isabella Leon, for the five-run advantage.
The Spartans almost came all the way back in the final three innings, scoring three times in the fifth — the big blow coming on a two-run triple by Jenessa Ullegue, who also drove home another in the seventh before being left at third.
Bradbury and
Maddie Rojas each finished with two hits, while
Alyse Rojas walked twice.
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.
