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DAVIS, Calif. — Freshman catcher Michael Campagna finished 3-for-4 and drove in three of his team's four runs on the day, while two UC Davis teammates added a pair of hits apiece, but visiting UC Irvine pushed across the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th on its second home run of the day, completing the sweep of the Big West Conference four-game series with a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium.
 
The Aggies dropped to 5-13 overall with the defeat and 0-4 in league play, rallying from down three in the fifth to tie the game and, eventually, force extra innings. The Anteaters improved to 10-7 overall and 4-0 in Big West action following the opening weekend of the conference season.
 
Campagna's three hits marked his fifth multi-hit game of the season and tied his career high at the plate set against Washington State on Feb. 21, when he finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI.
 
UC Irvine plated a pair in the third on a Luke Spillane two-run single and added a third run on Dillon Tatum's third home run of the season to give the visitors a quick 3-0 lead. Campagna's second hit of the day didn't take long to leave the park as he slugged his third home run of the season over the wall in left to get the Aggies on the board, but an RBI single by Adrian Damla in the top of the fifth rebuilt the lead to 4-1.
 
UC Davis answered in a big way to tie the game in the home half of the fifth, loading the bases with two outs on singles by Ben Griffin and Kyler Arenado, as well as a walk to Cooper Morrison. That brought Campagna again, who dropped a single into right field, scoring a pair to make it a one-run game.
 
Jake Brandel then followed with a single to left to tie the game, scoring Morrison to make it 4-4.
 
That was it for the scoring in regulation as the Aggies' bullpen came up huge. Nathan Peng scattered just two hits and struck out six over 4.1 innings of relief, inducing an inning-ending double play to get his team out of a jam in the fifth and allowing only three base runners the rest of the way.
 
Steven Ouellette (0-1) then entered in relief in the ninth, getting a ground ball to strand a runner and leaving the bases loaded in the 10th before UC Irvine struck for the game-winner as Mike Peabody led-off the 11th with his first home run of the season to centerfield to put the Anteaters ahead for good.
 
UC Davis put together a rally in the home half of the 11th, as Connor Longrie led-off with a single, was sacrificed to second, and joined on the basepaths by pinch hitter Colton Evans who was hit by a pitch. That brought up Nick Iverson, who smoked the first pitch he saw down to third base, where it was knocked down in fair territory by UCI's Connor McGuire. 
 
McGuire stepped on third and had just enough time to nab Iverson at first for the double play to end the game.
 
Longrie and Arenado finished with two hits apiece for the Aggies, who posted their highest hit total since rapping out 16 in a win over Pepperdine on March 12.
 
UC Davis continues Big West play on the road next weekend, travelling down the coast for a four-game set against UC Santa Barbara on March 26-28.



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.