Follow UC Davis:
Twitter |
Instagram |
Facebook
DAVIS, Calif. – Michael Campagna pulled UC Davis even with San Jose State in the seventh inning of Sunday's non-conference game at Phil Swimley Field by crushing his team-high fourth home run of the year, which scored two runs tied the score at seven.
Following a scoreless eighth inning, San José State regained the lead in its half of the ninth and hung four on the scoreboard entering the bottom half of the frame.
Undaunted by what took place throughout the previous half inning,
Kyler Arenado and
Colton Evans started the Aggies' ninth-inning rally with consecutive singles. Once Campagna reached first on a hit-by-pitch, UC Davis faced a bases-loaded situation with zero outs recorded.
The Aggies' deficit decreased to three after
Conner Longrie was hit by another Spartan pitch, and was joined by
Jalen Smith shortly thereafter on a fielder's choice, which allowed Evans to trim his team's deficit to a pair of runs on the play.
But it was a two-out single from
Jake Brandel to left field, hit with two strikes in the count, that allowed Campagna and Smith to sprint home, completely erase SJSU's lead and force extra innings.
The score remained 11-11, entering the top of the 11th, until Reese Hernandez gave San José State a two-run lead with his single to center. As the inning progressed, the Spartans tacked on an insurance run on a sacrifice fly to right field and held a 14-11 lead with the top of the lineup due up for UC Davis.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, they were unable to spark another comeback as SJSU ended Sunday's wild contest with a 14-11 win after recording the final three outs of the game.
UC Davis will resume its Big West schedule, continue its current seven-game homestand with Friday's 2:30 p.m. matchup versus CSUN, and return to Phil Swimley Field with a 11-30 overall record. San José State will return home with a 6-13 record.
In addition to reaching base safely in three of his six at bats, Brandel set a new single-game career high by driving in three of his team's runs. Campagna also ended Sunday's game with three RBI and scored a pair of runs for the Ags.
Smith also set a new single-game career high by scoring four runs, and opened the game for UC Davis by hitting a leadoff triple to right center. That led to the first of two runs earned in the bottom of the first when he touched the plate on a single from
Cooper Morrison on the very next at bat.
Campagna's bases-loaded walk sent Morrison home to give the Ags an early 2-0 advantage.
Even though SJSU cut that deficit in half by scoring in the top of the second, UC Davis pushed its lead back to two runs in its half of the frame. That 3-1 lead became a four-run cushion when Brandel's triple to the left field corner allowed Smith to circle the diamond and score.
Smith originally reached first on a walk.
A solo home run started San José State's half of the fifth, an inning that saw the Spartans score six runs on seven hits, and turn their 4-1 deficit into a 7-4 lead.
That score lasted one full inning because when the Aggies returned to the plate in the seventh, Brandel led things off with a double to left center, reached third on a fielder's choice, then scored the first run of the frame on a Spartan passed ball.
Two batters later, Campagna's blast, which easily sailed over the left field fence, pulled the Aggies even with SJSU at 7-7.
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.
