DAVIS, Calif. -- Senior shortstop
Isabella Leon sent a high chopper down the left-field line, driving in Sarah designated player Nakahara for the game-winning single in the ninth inning, capping a pitching gem by second-year freshman
Kenedi Brown and closing out UC Davis' weekend sweep of UC Riverside in Big West Conference women's softball action at La Rue Field Sunday afternoon.
The Aggies improve to 10-18 overall and 4-5 in league games. The Highlanders slip to 3-18 for the season and 2-10 in Big West play.
Brown posted her 12th complete game of the season, scattering eight hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. She outlasted UCR starter Chrys Hildebrand, who went 4.0 frames of no-hit ball before giving way to Katie Barbarick. The Highlander senior and Holy Cross transfer surrendered UC Davis' equalizer in the fifth and the go-ahead run in the eighth.
Center fielder
Marissa Jauregui finished 3-for-3 with a walk to lead the Aggies offensively. She scored the tying run in the fifth, by kicking off the rally with a one-out single, moving to second on a UCR fielding error, then coming home on
Sommer Kisling's RBI single to center.
Jauregui also had a chance to score the winning run in the seventh. She pulled an apparent double down the line that glanced off the glove of Highlander third baseman Katherine Montuya but also struck head coach
Erin Thorpe, who coaches third base when the Aggies are on offense. With the ball ruled dead, forcing Jauregui to return to first base rather than being in scoring position. Kisling sent a tweener through the 5-6 hole two batters later, but Barbarick retired
Anna Dethlefson on a grounder to end the threat and force extra innings.
UCR briefly planted the seeds of a two-out rally in its ninth, with Maiah Motta slamming a double off the left-center wall and Gigi Araki following with a walk. Brown jammed Leah Brito, forcing a harmless pop-up to
Megan Bower in right. This set the stage of UC Davis' walk-off rally in the bottom half of the frame: Nakahara led off with an infield single, stole second, then moved up 60 additional feet on Jauregui's third hit of the day. Jauregui then swiped second before Leon delivered the game-winning hit on a 1-2 pitch.
UC Davis swept a Saturday doubleheader of UCR by scores of 4-2 and 8-7. The Aggies continue Big West action with a series at CSUN, first with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday.
ABOUT UC DAVIS:
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO system helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
