DAVIS, Calif. -- After consecutive weekends in California's Inland Empire, the Aggie softball team takes on Sacramento State for a midweek tilt before returning to the friendly and familiar confines of La Rue Field for the six-team Capital Classic, hosted jointly with the Hornets from Friday through Sunday.

The Aggies face UConn and Santa Clara on Friday, Utah State and Texas State on Saturday, then wrap up the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against Texas State and Saint Mary's. All three days begin at 9 a.m., with approximately 20-25 minutes between games.

UP NEXT
Who: Sacramento State
When: Wednesday, Feb. 26 • 2:30 p.m.
Where: Shea Stadium (Sacramento, Calif.)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (http://statb.us/v/ucda/302974)
Watch: PlutoTV (http://www.hornetsports.com/links/4tze91)

What: Capital Classic
Who: Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, Texas State, UConn, Utah State
When: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-Mar. 1
Where: La Rue Field (Davis, Calif.)
Tournament Central: https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2020/1/29/sports-w-softbl-spec-rel-2020-capital-classic.aspx
Sacramento State Site: http://hornetsports.com/sports/sball/2019-20/20capclassic

UC Davis went 1-3 at last weekend's Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, but the one win was a doozy: the Aggies came back from a 3-0 deficit to score eight in the fifth and three more runs in the sixth en route to an 11-3 upset of No. 18 Missouri. 

Junior left fielder Alyse Rojas continues to lead the Aggies offensively, finishing 6-for-14 with five runs, a homer and three stolen bases during the four-game weekend. She had her consecutive game hit streak snapped in the tourney opener against Seattle, but collected two hits in each of the three subsequent games, putting her season numbers to .529/.571/.902. Through Sunday, Rojas ranks second in the nation in hits (19), tied for fifth in total bases (46) and 19th in batting average.

Senior Marissa Jauregui was another bright spot at the plate: 5-for-12 with a double and four runs scored. Shortstop Isabella Leon added her usual pop with two doubles and a home run for the weekend. She ranks second on the Aggies in total bases (38) and slugging (.745) thanks to a team-high 10 extra-base hits through 14 games this year.

Sacramento State (9-6) enters Wednesday's game after three straight tournament wins at LMU. The corner infield combo of Mo Spieth (.333/.455/.611) and Alondra Mejia (.304/.333/.609) have combined for 12 extra-base hits in 15 games thus far, while starting pitchers Marissa Bertuccio and Jansen Main sport ERAs of 2.15 and 2.25, respectively.

This marks the second trip to the valley by Saint Mary's and Santa Clara, both of which competed in the season-opening NorCal Kickoff. The Gaels (4-12) picked off a win in a three-game set with Utah Valley last weekend. Junior DP Maddie Gallagher leads their offense at .317/.333/.512 in 16 games. The Broncos (7-7) blasted Canisius by a 9-1 final then blanked North Dakota, 7-0, at their own Silicon Valley Classic I over the weekend. Hannah Edwards earned the win in each game, allowing nine hits and just the one run in 12 innings.

Texas State and UConn are both first-time visitors to La Rue Field, although not first-time opponents, having matched up with UC Davis on neutral sites in recent years. The Bobcats picked off a 3-2 upset against No. 17 Minnesota at the Baylor Invitational after going 5-0 at their own Bobcat Classic the week before. TSU went 2-3 in Waco, finishing the weekend with a 2-0 win over Tulsa. The Huskies enter the Capital Classic on a seven-game winning streak, mostly recently claiming a 3-1 win over Purdue at the Spring Games in Florida. Leadoff hitter Aziah James leads UConn with a .432 average and 6-for-6 in stolen bases.

Utah State (7-7) is also a familiar face, having defeated UC Davis in the previous Aggies-versus-Aggies, 5-3, during the Golden State Classic. Utah State has won six of the last seven, with only an 8-inning, 8-7 setback to CSUN at the Grand Canyon Purple Classic interrupting the streak. Sophomore Lexi Orozco leads Utah State with .361/.521/.722 numbers at the plate, while right-hander Kapri Toone has stifled opposing batters to a 1.36 ERA.

Live results will be available for all nine games of the Capital Classic, while live streaming video is available for all UC Davis games. A full tournament central website can be found at the link above.

PINCH HITS
• Friday's win over Mizzou marked the sixth time since UC Davis made the leap to Division I that the program has defeated an NFCA Top 25 program: No. 8 Stanford in 2012, No. 14 USF in 2013, No. 17 Stanford in 2013, No. 16 Oklahoma State at the 2018 MNCC, then No. 17 Long Beach State in a 12-inning marathon at the end of the 2018.

• Alyse Rojas raised her career total to 145 hits, already the fourth-highest in the program's Division I era... Only Alex Holmes (150), Brianna Warner (173) and Christa Castello (211)... Rojas needs another 47 to enter the school's overall top 10... Rojas' 20 runs for 2020 brings her season total to 86, two ahead of Castello for No. 2 on the Div. I-era list... Only Warner had more (106) since the university completed its reclassfication... Rojas also needs five more hits to catch Holmes (150) for third on the D-I-era list... 

• Meanwhile, Isabella Leon has tied Ashley Lotoszynski for 3rd on the school's Div. I-era list with 80 career runs scored... Leon's homer against Mizzou gives her 11 for her career, tying Kelly Zboralske (2012-16) for fifth among the program's Div. I-era leaders... Finally, senior Katie Kibby looks for her first shutout of 2020... One more ties Justine Vela (2012-15) as the program's D-I career leader 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 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: Established 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.

MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE: Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit this site for more information.

DON'T MISS OUT: Tickets for all UC Davis sports are on sale by contacting the Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1 or by visiting us online at tickets.ucdavis.edu.