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DAVIS, Calif. – Three lead changes took place throughout the first of two Big West games that took place at Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium on Saturday until UC Davis held the lead for good following its five-run fifth inning.
 
In the inning prior to that scoring outburst, Jake Brandel and Spencer Gedestad hit back-to-back solo home runs, with only one pitch separating the two blasts, which gave the Aggies a 2-1 lead through four innings.
 
UC Davis also added a couple of insurance runs by scoring once in the sixth and again in the seventh to defeat Cal State Fullerton, 9-7, which also led to Zach Carrell earning his second win of the season.
 
Gedestad led the Aggies at the plate by finishing 3-for-5 with two runs and a pair of RBI, Brandel batted 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and RBI as well, and Michael Campagna reached base safely in three of his four at bats, scored one run and drove in another.
 
With UC Davis (10-23, 5-14 BWC) leading 2-1 entering the top of the fourth, CSF (14-16, 7-4 BWC) regained its lead by scoring four runs, and held a 5-2 advantage entering the bottom of the frame.
 
The Titans' lead did not last long because the Aggies responded with five runs of their own — a scoring rally that started with Nick Iverson's triple to left center. After he scored on a wild pitch, Jalen Smith hit a double down the left field line, followed by a Brandel walk and a single to left from Gedestad, which drove in Smith.
 
Following Kyler Arenado's walk, which loaded the bases, Campagna's single to center allowed Brandel to score.
 
Colton Evans drove in the Aggies' final two runs with a single to left; that allowed Gedestad and Arenado to race home from second and third, respectively, to give their team the lead at 7-5.
 
A Brandel double in the sixth inning drove in Morrison, who reached base on a double of his own; a leadoff single from Campagna, who advanced to third on a double from Jackson O'Boy, led to UC Davis' final run of the game when he raced home on a Titan wild pitch.
 
Those two insurance runs played a key role in the first game because the Titans scored twice in the eighth to pull within two. But Nick Johnson squashed CSF's hopes of scoring in the ninth by retiring it in order with two swinging strikeouts, and a fly ball to center, to end the game.
 
When action resumed, Brandel and Gedestad reached base when each were hit by a Titan pitch in the fourth inning, followed by a bloop single to center from Arenado which allowed Brandel to score the only run of the second game until the Titans' half of the ninth.
 
Three straight CSF singles ended up being the difference in Saturday's second game because the last one, hit by Cole Urman, drove in his other two teammates. It was unfortunate luck that struck the Aggies on Urman's at bat since his ground ball squeezed its way past Smith and Arenado, who each made a diving attempt to keep the ball from reaching left field.
 
That hard-luck grounder was the only blemish on an outstanding appearance from UC Davis starter Tim Wieser, who allowed only five hits through 8.2 innings and nearly earned a complete-game shutout victory.  
 
UC Davis will look to split its weekend series against the Titans in Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale. A video stream and live stats are available for this league matchup.
 
 
 
 
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.