STANFORD, Calif.— Junior communication major Alejandro Lara came in clutch for UC Davis on Tuesday evening at Sunken Diamond, logging his first career home run in the form of a three-run blast in the seventh, while senior clinical nutrition major Garret Kelly added a solo shot in the eighth to help lead UC Davis to an upset victory over No. 2 Stanford, 8-6, at Klein Field in Stanford, Calif.

Lara finish the day 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three driven in—one of four Aggies with a multi-hit performance against the nationally ranked Cardinal. Kelly capped off the day 1-for-3 with two RBI and a pair of runs, while sophomore Tanner Murray, junior Cooper Morrison, and freshman Conner Longrie each chipped in two hits apiece.

The Aggies improve to 11-18 on the season after handing the nationally ranked Cardinal its sixth loss of the season, ending a seven-game losing streak against Stanford dating back to a 2-1 victory at Dobbins Stadium on March 26, 2013. Stanford slipped to a 24-6 overall record on the season. The victory marked the first win for UC Davis at Klein Field since 2009 and the first upset win over a ranked opponent since last season when the Aggies downed No. 21 St. John's, 10-6, on Mar. 4, 2018.

Ryan Rodriguez (1-0) was credited with the win--the first of his career-- allowing one run on three hits and striking out three over two innings after entering in relief in the fourth, while junior right-hander Steve Ouellette earned his second save of the season, getting the final five outs over 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out a pair.

Stanford was first to get on the board in the home half of the second thanks to solo home run off the bat of Will Matthiessen to lead off the inning. 

But UC Davis answered back in the fourth—an inning that saw eight Aggies to the plate— taking advantage of timely hitting and misplays by the Cardinal defense. Lara got things started for the Aggies with a lead-off single up the middle and moved to second after sophomore Joseph Myers reached safely on a fielder's choice. Longrie then plated Lara with another single up the middle to even the game at one all. 

With runners on the corners, Myers touched home on a squeeze play keyed by a sacrifice bunt from Kelly. Starting pitcher Alex Williams threw home on the play, but Myers was called safe due to a muffed throw by the catcher. Another sacrifice bunt laid down by redshirt sophomore Jackson O'Boy moved Kelly and Longrie to second and third, respectively, before Briggs brought a run across with his third sacrifice fly of the season. Murray drove in the fourth and final run of the inning with his first hit of the afternoon and went on to snag his ninth stolen base of the year before the end of the inning. 

Stanford pulled one run back in their half of the fifth, but UC Davis battled back once again in the seventh, this time extending their lead by three. Back-to-back singles by Murray and Morrison set the stage for Lara who slugged a two-out round tripper—the first of his Aggie career— to make it 7-2 in favor of UC Davis. The Fairfield-native currently ranks second on the squad with a .356 average and co-leads the Aggies with 19 RBI. 

Kelly followed suit in the eighth with a home run of his own to give the Aggies a six-run advantage—his fourth of the season. But the Cardinal proved why they are one of the top ranked squads in the country, scratching back to within two following a four-run effort in the eighth highlighted by a three-run homer from Tim Tawa. 

But it would prove too little too late for the nationally ranked Cardinal, as the Aggies shut the door with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. 

Morrison will enter the weekend with a team-best 14-game hitting streak, while Murray collected his 17th multi-hit performance of the season.  

UC Davis resumes road action later this week against another ranked opponent in Big West colleague No. 7 UC Santa Barbara, beginning Thursday (Apr. 18) at 3 p.m. PT. The series continues on Friday (Apr. 19) at 3 p.m. PT and wraps up with the rubber game on Saturday (Apr. 20) at 1 p.m. PT. 

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.