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DAVIS, Calif. – Leading 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth in Friday's Big West Conference game at Phil Swimley Field, Jake Brandel drove in Spencer Gedestad with a double to left field to extend UC Davis' lead to 4-2, providing the Aggies with the first of two insurance runs scored that inning.
 
Gedestad started the eighth with a walk, and raced around the diamond when Brandel's double rolled to the corner in left. Once he took off from first, the senior first baseman never broke stride as he rounded second and third to double his team's advantage.
 
Entering as a pinch runner for Brandel, Daniel Carrion advanced to third on Kyler Arenado's sacrifice bunt and recorded the final run of the day on a Cal Poly wild pitch moments later. 
 
Returning to the mound in the top of the ninth, Zach Carrell earned his second save of the season when he forced Cole Cabrera to hit a line drive to Cooper Morrison in center field for the final out of a game the Aggies won, 5-2, and led from start to finish.
 
Jake Spillane collected his fourth win of the season by allowing only one earned run throughout his 6.2-inning start.
 
UC Davis will return for Saturday's 12 p.m. doubleheader at 14-36 overall and 8-25 against Big West teams while Cal Poly falls to 24-25 and 14-19 with Friday's result.
 
After Cal Poly was retired in order in the top of the first, a leadoff single from Jalen Smith turned into the inaugural run of the day for the Aggies when Brandel hit a grounder to second and reached base on a fielder's choice. Scoring from third on that play was Smith, giving the Ags an early 1-0 lead.
 
Even though Cal Poly tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third with a two-out double, UC Davis took the lead for good by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom half of that frame.
 
Initially reaching base by when he was hit by a Cal Poly pitch, Nick Iverson raced from one corner to the other on a textbook hit-and-run single to left from Cooper Morrison. Iverson scored two batters later when Arenado turned on a pitch from Mustang starter Drew Thorpe and smacked a grounder to left.
 
Video streams and live stats are available for Saturday's twinbill, the same links work for tomorrow's 12 p.m. opener and the second game, which will begin approximately 30 minutes after the first game ends.

 
 
 
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.