DAVIS, Calif. - Senior Isabella Leon and second-year freshman Leah Polson each totaled five hits for the day while the latter added five runs batted in as UC Davis split a Big West Conference softball doubleheader with Cal Poly on Saturday. The Aggies won the opener in five innings, 12-4, while the Mustangs rallied in the late innings to claim the nightcap by a final of 12-9.

UC Davis moves to 17-22 for the season with an 11-9 conference record. Cal Poly is now 11-20 overall and 5-15 in Big West play.

Leon and Polson combined for 10 of the Aggies' 25 total hits in the two games. Anna Dethlefson, who caught in the first game and anchored right field in the second, hit 2-for-4 with a stolen base in each contest. Junior second baseman Sommer Kisling finished a combined 4-for-7 with three runs scored. Center fielder Marissa Jauregui scored two runs in each contest, including a steal of home in Game 1. First baseman Sarah Starks also had at least one hit in each game, with her two-run single invoking the eight-run rule in opener.

UC Davis never trailed in its Game 1 victory. Leon's RBI double to right highlighted a three-run first inning. Cal Poly's Hailey Martin slammed the first pitch for a two-run homer in the top of the second to cut into that lead, but the Aggies got the two runs back in the bottom half. Dethlefson and Kisling each singled at the top of the order, then a pair of Mustang errors – among their seven for the day – helped UC Davis restore its lead.

Polson's two-run single sparked a four-run fourth for the Aggies, extending their lead to 9-3. Then after surrendering a Mustang run in the top of the fifth, UC Davis struck again with a three-run frame. Libbie McMahan and Dethlefson led off with hits, with a Kisling fly ball to center allowing McMahan to score. Leon drilled a hard shot that Cal Poly third baseman Mia Perez halted but could not convert. Starks finished the contest with a line drive to left center that plated both Leon and Dethlefson for the walk-off hit.

Kenedi Brown earned the short complete-game win in Game 1, allowing five hits and three earned runs in her 5.0 innings of work.

In Game 2, each team batted around in the third, with Cal Poly posting seven runs against UC Davis' four. The Mustangs had six straight singles to slowly craft a 4-0 lead, then catcher Kai Barrett slammed a three-run blast to center to make it 7-0. The rally even ended on a hit: Hailey Prahm hit a sharp single to center, but Jauregui quickly threw over to Starks, who applied the tag on Prahm as she took her turn toward second. 

Jauregui contributed on the offensive end in the bottom half of that frame with her two-run single. Starks and Jauregui added runs on a fielder's choice and a walk, respectively, trimming the deficit to 7-4. UC Davis then took a 9-7 lead in fourth. Starks had a two-run single, Jauregui doubled Starks home for the equalizer, and Polson's double to the gap in left gave the Aggies two more for a 9-7 advantage and no outs.

Cal Poly then turned to reliever Danielle Reyes, who retired three straight batters to end the rally, then extend that streak to seven straight outs through the sixth. Meanwhile, the Mustangs regained the lead in the fifth, with pinch hitter Kianah Corey providing the main highlight: she slammed a fly ball to center that bounced off the top of the fence and rebounded toward Jauregui. Instead of a home run, Corey settled for a long single, but enough to score Barrett and Lily Amos for the go-ahead runs.

The Mustangs tacked on a run in each of the sixth and seventh to protect their lead. Reyes, a local product from Kennedy High School and Sac City College, earned her first career Mustang win with four shutout innings.

The two teams finish up the three-game series with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday. Seniors Leon, Jauregui and catcher Katie Steffen-Brune will be honored as the conclusion of the contest.
 

---

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.