FULLERTON, Calif. -- Senior Garret Kelly had himself a day at the plate Saturday, picking up four hits, but it wasn't enough to help UC Davis grab a win over Cal State Fullerton, as the Aggies fell by the score of 11-9.
The Aggies' nine-run effort on Saturday afternoon at Goodwin Field is the most runs scored against the Titans by a UC Davis squad in program history, topping the previous record of eight logged on Apr. 15, 2007.
With this in-conference defeat, UC Davis falls to 16-24, 7-10 in the Big West. The victory for Cal State Fullerton brings their overall record to 19-23, 6-8 in conference matchups. Junior Matthew Sanchez picked up the win, bringing his record to 1-0. Junior Wyatt Tucker took the loss for the Aggies, falling to 1-2 on the season.
UC Davis gave the ball to freshman Jake Spillane to start out the contest. He threw five innings, surrendering five runs, all of them earned, on seven hits with no walks and one strikeout. The Aggies then went to the bullpen, bringing in Tucker for the following 0.1 innings. Tucker allowed four runs on two hits before being relieved by sophomore Ryan Rodriguez. Rodriguez yielded two runs in one inning of work, giving up two Cal State Fullerton hits. To finish out the game, UC Davis turned to freshman Nathan Peng, who went the final 1.2 innings, allowing no runs and one hit.
As a group, UC Davis pitchers allowed the 11 Cal State Fullerton runs, all earned, on 12 hits, walking six and fanning one.
Offensively, UC Davis was paced by Kelly, who went 4-for-4 with a triple. Freshman Conner Longrie furnished a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 1-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs. Sophomore Tanner Murray also helped out for the Aggies, going 1-for-4 with three RBIs. Junior Isaiah Garcia led the attack for the Cal State Fullerton lineup, going 1-for-3 with a triple and five RBIs on the day.
As a unit, UC Davis pushed across their nine runs on 15 hits, four of which went for extra bases. The Aggies supplemented their attack by drawing three walks from Cal State Fullerton pitchers. When they did swing the bat, UC Davis was clutch at the plate. The Aggies went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position, with Murray accounting for one of those hits.
UC Davis will look to bounce back in the series finale scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. tomorrow (May 5) at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif.
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, 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
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, 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.
