DAVIS, Calif. — Just over a month after throwing the first perfect game in the program's Division I history, sophomore left-hander
Brooke Yanez was nearly perfect once again, facing just one over the minimum en route to the fourth no-hitter in the program's Division I annals, blanking Cal Poly by a 5-0 score on Sunday afternoon at La Rue Field.
The win pushed the Aggies to 31-8 overall on the season and 6-3 in Big West Conference play, taking their third-straight conference series to start the year and posting the most wins since the 2007 squad finished 31-27-1 overall.
The Mustangs, who managed only two base runners via walks in the third and fifth innings on day, fell to 8-31 overall and 2-7 in league play.
Yanez (20-3) struck out seven en route to becoming the program's first 20-game winner since Justine Vela (20-13) in 2012 — and only the ninth to reach 20 wins since 1982 — tying Vela's mark for the most wins in a single season in the team's Division I history.
It was also the seventh shutout of the year for Yanez, tying her with Vela's 2013 total for second on the Division I list, while the seven strikeouts gave her 201 for the season — only the fourth Aggie pitcher to do so since 2008, joining Vela (272 in 2012), Jessica Hancock (225 in 2008), and Alex Holmes (209 in 2011).
Yanez, however, wasn't the only one setting records on the day as junior
Marisa Given was a pain for Cal Poly starter Steffi Best (3-19) all day. Given finished 3-for-3 with three RBI — all three of her hits going for doubles to tie the school's single-game record set by Trisha Reinhardt versus Sonoma State in 1996, and matched by Rachel Miller at Pacific in 2012.
Given, who logged her fourth three-hit game and upped her team-high total to 11 such performances this season, put the Aggies out front quickly, following up a single by
Alyse Rojas with a double to the gap in left center for a 1-0 lead.
The psychology major from Salinas, Calif., then made it 3-0 an inning later with two outs, scoring
Alyse Rojas and
Alex Sotomayor, who both singled, for the two run advantage.
Given then scored the fourth run of the game after her third double of the day, scoring on a ground ball by
Maddie Rojas for a 4-0 advantage, and
Alyse Rojas capped off a three-hit day of her own with a single off Best's glove in the sixth, scoring pinch hitter
Autumn Miller for the final 5-0 tally.
In all, seven different UC Davis batters finished with a hit as the Aggies collected double-digit hits (11) for the second straight contest.
Meanwhile, the defense also flashed the leather to keep the no-no intact as
Isabella Leon made a diving stab of Noellah Ramos blooper behind second base to lead-off the fourth, and senior
Alex Sotomayor made an over-the-shoulder grab of Jackie Napoli's pop-up in the fifth, doubling up the runner to end the inning.
The road awaits UC Davis next weekend as the Aggies head to Southern California to take on UC Riverside in a three-game series. The series opens with a single game on Friday (April 19) at 3 p.m., before wrapping up with a doubleheader on Saturday (April 20) at 11 a.m.
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.
