DAVIS, Calif. -- True freshman Anna Dethlefson hit a combined 5-for-7 with three doubles, a home run and a stolen base, while first baseman Sarah Starks homered twice to lead UC Davis to a doubleheader sweep of Santa Clara to close out the Capital Classic collegiate women's softball tournament at La Rue Field Sunday afternoon. The Aggies beat the Broncos in the five-inning opener, 10-2; then came back from an early deficit in a 10-5 victory in the nightcap.

UC Davis improves to 6-9, having won five games during the tournament, which consisted of three doubleheaders from Thursday through Sunday.

In all, the Aggies totaled 12 extra-base hits between the two games. Dethlefson had a double and a two-run homer as part of her team's 6-1 start in the opener, then hit a pair of two-baggers in the nightcap. Senior shortstop Isabella Leon had three doubles as part of her 4-for-7 afternoon. Second-year freshman Leah Polson tripled in Game 1 then launched her first homer of the year as part of UC Davis' Game 2 comeback. Starks launched a towering solo shot in the third inning of Game 2, then later delivered a two-run blast in the sixth. Designated player Megan Bower rapped out an RBI double in that six-run comeback in the sixth.

Freshman Taylor Fitzgerald earned the complete-game victory in Game 1. She allowed just three hits and two earned runs in five complete innings. Then Kenedi Brown posted her third straight complete-game win in Game 2, running into some hard luck in the Bronco second, but allowing just one hit in the final four innings.

After surrendering a run in the top of the first on an Emma Bickford triple, UC Davis pounced in its bottom half to claim a 4-1 lead in the first game. Polson's triple to the left-center gap scored Marissa Jauregui and Starks, then she came home on Dethlefson's double to the opposite gap. Dethlefson then extended the lead to 6-1 with her two-run homer in the third, while Starks sent in the Aggies' seventh run on a ground out in the fourth. 

UC Davis invoked the eight-run rule in the fifth. Dethlefson led off the inning with a base hit to left, stole both second and third, then came home on a Sommer Kisling two-run single to right. In turn, Kisling advanced to third when Leon drove a double down the left-field line. Two batters later, Starks hit a sharp comebacker to pitcher Lauren Anderson. The ball glanced off Anderson's glove and past SCU shortstop Allyson Ferreira, bringing in Kisling for the 10th run and the eight-run margin.

In contrast to Game 1, Santa Clara led for the majority of Game 2. With two outs, infield singles by Bailey McLaughlin and Kat Sanchez set the table for a triple by Ashley Trierweiler, boosting the Broncos to a 3-0 lead. Kisling delivered a two-run hit in the bottom of the second to cut that margin to one, but SCU made it 4-2 in the next half-inning as Emma Bickford scored on a wild pitch. Again, UC Davis had an answer, with Starks' solo shot cutting the margin back to 4-3 in the third. However, the Aggies stranded two runners in that frame, allowing SCU to hold the lead into the fourth. 

Santa Clara extended its advantage to 5-3 in the fifth. Sanchez loaded the bases when her swing glanced the helmet of catcher Katie Steffen-Brune, then Trierweiler was hit by a Brown pitch to plate another run. Again, the Aggies neutralized with Polson's homer to the La Rue Field batting cages in right, trimming the deficit back to 5-4.

UC Davis scored the go-ahead run in the sixth. After pinch hitter Libbie McMahan walked and freshman left fielder Sarah Nakahara singled through the middle, Kisling attempted a bunt to move her two teammates up 60 feet. Instead, a wild throw to retire Kisling resulted in a three-base error, bringing in Nakahara and McMahan to flip the 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead. Leon and Bower hit back-to-back doubles, each scoring a run and extending the lead to 8-5. Finally, Starks' second home run of the contest brought the score to 10-5. Brown retired the Broncos in order in the seventh to preserve her win.

Dethlefson also made a spectacular, over-the-shoulder catch in the ninth as part of her weekend. She hit 7-for-11 overall in three starts during the Capital Classic. Leon hit 10-for-23 with four doubles and a home run since making her return from preseason injury. Brown finished the weekend with a 3-0 record, a 1.27 ERA, a .198 opposing batting average and 30 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

UC Davis players wore green ribbons throughout the weekend in support of Cal State Fullerton pitcher Taylor Dockins, who continues to inspire the softball world throughout her treatment for liver cancer.

UC Davis returns to action at the Bulldog Classic on March 13-14. Both days consist of doubleheaders against visiting Cal and host Fresno State. 

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ABOUT UC DAVIS:
With the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, more than 700 student-athletes represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation on one of 25 intercollegiate athletics teams.

UC Davis, a national leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, is centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley; and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.

Ranked annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, 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.