Davis, Calif. — The Aggies struggled on Friday, falling to the Long Beach State Dirtbags 10-3, despite the efforts of James Williams III, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI in his second to last ever collegiate game.
Senior Nathan Peng, who very well could have made his last collegiate appearance, was spectacular for the Aggies in his one inning of work. Entering out of the bullpen, Peng, along with Avery Thau were the two lone Aggie pitchers to not allow a run tonight, in a game that saw six Aggies enter the game on the hill. Peng was able to induce a quick double play against the first batter he faced after entering in the middle of the fifth, and would proceed to strand one runner before giving way to Danny Carrion in the next half.
Carrion entered the game and was electric for his first inning of the ballgame, striking out the side and making quick work of the opposing Dirtbag lineup during the sixth inning. This would be a short-lived win for the Aggies as the Dirtbags seemingly made adjustments in the following inning by executing their way to two runs and would slowly unravel the game.
Offensively, the Aggies were led by Williams III, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a home run and an RBI. Nick Leehey was a focal point as well, going 2-for-4 with a double, and was the only Aggie to record multiple hits. His two-hit game tonight moves Leehey's season total to 15 games of recording multiple hits, trailing only Alex Gouveia for the team lead. Also contributing to the Aggie offense was Ryan Lee who drew the start at third base, and finished the day going 1-for-4 with an RBI. The final Aggie run producer was Mark Wolbert who entered the ballgame fresh off a solo home run in the series opener, and would follow that up with a 1-for-5 performance, recording an RBI in the top half of the seventh to bring the Aggie deficit to just one at that point in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 3-0, the Aggies first put runs on the board in the fifth inning when Williams III would slam a leadoff jack for his first home run of the season. A consistent RBI threat all year for the Aggies, the senior raised his season total to 33 with his home run.
The Aggies deficit expanded to 4-1 before their offense got back on the scoreboard, cutting into that deficit in the seventh inning. UC Davis brought home a pair of runs with the help of Lee and Wolbert who each collected run producing singles, which would bring the score to 4-3 in favor of the Beach.
Forcing the Dirtbags to make a pitching change after loading the bases and threatening to take the lead in the seventh, the Aggies failed to get any closer, as Long Beach State added six runs to their tally in the bottom halves of the seventh and eighth on their way to a 10-3 final.
GAME NOTES
» UC Davis' highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed two runs across.
» UC Davis went 2-for-5 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» UC Davis pitchers faced 44 Long Beach State hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out 11.
» Williams III led the Aggies at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
» Long Beach State was led offensively by sophomore Eddie Saldivar, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles.
» Junior Sky Wells led the Beach pitching staff, throwing 2.1 shutout innings.
