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Due to Yolo County Public Health guidelines and game day protocols, fans are unable to attend home events this season.
DAVIS, Calif. – Cooper Morrison hit his second home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning during Sunday's series finale vs. Pepperdine at Phil Swimley Field, but a four-run second inning for the Waves provided all of the offense they needed to earn a 5-2 victory and split the weekend series against the Aggies.
UC Davis will now enter its inaugural Big West series of the season, which starts at home on Friday against UC Irvine, with a 5-9 overall record. Pepperdine will also begin West Coast Conference play next weekend at 5-9.
A leadoff double in the fourth inning from
Jalen Smith was immediately followed by Morrison's home run to right, which cut the Waves' four-run lead in half. Unfortunately for UC Davis, it could not pull itself any closer since four innings of shutout baseball took place before the Waves added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to salvage a weekend split.
Entering in relief following the Waves' four-run outburst,
Nate Freeman ended the inning by forcing Aharon Modlin to pop up to
Kyler Arenado at short, which prevented Pepperdine from further extending its lead since a runner was stranded in scoring position.
Throughout his 5.1 innings, the freshman right-hander allowed only three hits and struckout a career-high seven batters to keep the Aggies within striking distance entering the game's final two innings.
The inaugural Big West series of the season will start on Friday, at 2:30 p.m. when UC Irvine visits Phil Swimley Field. Baseball's season-opening 18-game homestand will conclude with four games against the Anteaters; the first road game of 2021 will take place the following week at UC Santa Barbara.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Over 700 student-athletes across 25 intercollegiate athletics teams, following the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, are enrolled in 71 of more than 100 academic programs at 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.