HONOLULU — Sophomore communication major Brooke Yanez no-hit host Hawai'i through 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out 14 on the night, setting a new school Division I single-season strikeout standard and helping UC Davis to a 5-1 victory over the Rainbow Wahine on Friday night.

The Aggies, who posted their first-ever series victory in Honolulu by taking two-of-three on the weekend, finish the regular season with a 39-14 overall record and a 13-8 mark in Big West Conference play, while Hawai'i ends the regular season at 33-16 overall and 14-7 in conference action.

Both teams now await a possible postseason berth when the selection committee reveals the field of 64 teams for the 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament on Sunday (May 12) at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN2. Regionals begin at 16 on-campus host sites on Friday (May 17).

En route to her 11th double-digit strikeout performance of the season, Yanez (25-7) finished the regular season with 273 strikeouts, breaking the school's Division I single-season record previously held by Justine Vela, who struck out 272 hitters in 2012.

She passed Cal Poly's Sierra Hyland (263 in 2014), CSUN's Tara Glaister (267 in 1997), and Vela, for eighth place on the Big West's all-time single-season list in the process, finishing just two back of Hyland's 2017 total for seventh, while taking over third place on UC Davis' all-time single-season list, 13 back of Gena Weber's 286 strikeouts in 1996 for second.

Yanez, who faced just three over the minimum on the night, was perfect through 3.1 innings before Nicole Lopez drew a walk in the fourth for the Rainbow Wahine's first baserunner of the night. The Ventura, Calif., native then retired the next seven Hawai'i hitters, striking out five straight at one point, before Brittnee Rossi ended the no-hit bid with one swing, slugging her sixth home run of the year to left centerfield for the home team's first — and only — hit of the night.

At that point the Aggies were well in control after jumping out early with a run in the second and four more in the third — more than enough for Yanez. Senior Meghan Bradbury led off the second inning with a single, was sacrificed to second, and scored when Alyse Rojas' ground ball was misplayed, allowing the San Pablo, Calif., native to touch the plate for the 1-0 lead.

The very next inning, UC Davis sent eight hitters to the plate, loading the bases on back-to-back one-out singles by juniors Isabella Leon and Marissa Jauregui, and a two-out walk to Bradbury. That brought up junior Maddie Rojas, who cranked the first pitch she saw from Hawai'i starter Brittany Hitchcock (20-8) over the wall in right centerfield for her second home run of the season and a commanding 5-0 Aggie lead.

Leon and Bradbury each finished with two hits — the latter reaching base three times with the addition of a walk and scoring twice — collecting their 11th multi-hit games of the season to stand third on the team in that category.

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.