DAVIS, Calif. — Jalen Smith,
Conner Longrie, and
Shaun McHale, all finished with three hits on the day, while
Michael Campagna blasted his second home run of the season in support of starter
Jake Spillane, as the UC Davis baseball team opened a four-game set with visiting Pepperdine with a decisive 10-5 victory on Friday afternoon at Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium.
The Aggies improved to 4-7 overall, bashing out 16 hits on the day. The Waves, led by a two-homer game from Ryan Johnson, fell to 3-8 with the loss.
Spillane (1-1) went six innings, giving up five runs on six hits and striking out five, but was the recipient of a couple of big innings as the Aggies jumped out to a 5-0 lead and later put up three more runs in the fourth to pull away.
Kaden Riccomini earned the three-inning save, allowing just two hits and striking out two as Pepperdine got no closer than two runs on the day.
UC Davis took advantage of a bit of wildness from Waves' starter Jack Baird (0-2) in the home half of the first, using a pair of singles and back-to-back walks — the second of which to
Colton Evans — for a 1-0 lead. Longrie then laced a two-run single through the right side, followed by a McHale RBI double, and a run-scoring single by
Isaiah Verrett, for the 5-0 advantage.
A home run by Pepperdine's Connor Bradshaw got a run back in the top of the second, and the Waves added two more in the fourth on Johnson's first home run of the day, but the Aggies had an answer in the home half of the fourth.
Campagna's blast cleared the fence down the left field line to make it 6-3 and
Kyler Arenado put UC Davis even further in front with a two-run single down the left field line for the 8-3 advantage.
Johnson's second two-run shot in the sixth for Pepperdine made it 8-5, but that would be as close as the Waves would get the rest of the way as
Cooper Morrison and pinch-hitter
Jackson O'Boy collected RBI singles in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, to cap the scoring.
The series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday (March 13) beginning at 11:30 a.m.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Over 700 student-athletes across 25 intercollegiate athletics teams, following the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
Centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley, UC Davis is known nationwide as a leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, ranks annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
