Long Beach, Calif. — The Aggies capped off their 2023 season with a loss to the Long Beach State Dirtbags, 7-1 in Saturday's finale.
Saving his best for last, Damian Stone, collected four knocks and accounted for nearly half of the Aggie hits in the ballgame. Going 4-for-5, Stone was responsible for the lone run, and RBI of the ball game when he launched his fifth homer of the season in the fifth inning. Making an immediate impact in his debut season with UC Davis, Stone finishes 2023 with the highest on-base-percentage, and OPS among teammates, while also being one of two Aggies to hit above .300, with the other being, second baseman, Alex Gouveia.
In addition to his Stone's four hits, the Aggies saw contributions from sophomore Riley Acosta who went 2-for-3 with a double in the ballgame tonight. Rising to the occasion when called upon to do so, Acosta recorded his second career multi-hit game, a testament to his ability to stay ready all season long.
Drawing the start for UC Davis was Nate Freeman (2-8) who suited up for the last time in an Aggie uniform and would register 1.2 innings pitched tonight. The man who his teammates have come to know as "Free-Dog," wrapped up a career that saw the Benicia product appear in 57 games during his time as an Aggie, with 123 strikeouts in nearly 170 innings.
Another senior pitcher who made his last collegiate appearance was Nathan Peng as the senior from Saratoga also happened to draw an at-bat in tonight's finale. Peng for the second time this series, allowed no runs in his one inning of work and concludes a career that saw him transform into one of the most reliable bullpen pitchers on the team. Appearing in 57 games on the mound just like Freeman, Peng recorded 68 strikeouts over 77.0 innings pitched. He also collected 17 hits over his five years in the program with three doubles and one home run.
UC Davis will also miss James Williams III next year as the Huntington Beach native was the final senior to take action in his last game tonight. Registering almost 300 at bats, Williams III marched his way to 77 career hits, 29 of them going for extra-bases, and epitomized everything UC Davis looks for in a leader, and a run-producer.
The Aggies 2023 season saw them clock in at 10th among their Big West conference foes, with an overall record of 17-37, and a Big West record of 7-23. Closing out the end of Tommy Nicholson's second season as the head man, the former Stanford assistant and his coaching staff continue to rebuild a program. Not the finish anyone had hoped for, there are still many positives to take away. Among those positives include their signature win on the road against No. 19 ranked UCLA, the likely inclusion of a few Aggies on the All-Big West team's, and a chance to hear some Aggies names be called on during the upcoming MLB Draft. Overall, there is progress being made with a seemingly upward trajectory in regards to bringing UC Davis Baseball back into relevance among the Big West.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies were trailing 3-0 in the fifth inning when they first put runs on the board. Stone put UC Davis on the board with a two-out solo home run off Long Beach State junior, Jake Rons. That would be all the Aggie runs as Long Beach State added four more runs to their tally on the way to a 7-1 final.
GAME NOTES
» UC Davis' highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed one run across.
» UC Davis left 11 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» UC Davis pitchers faced 35 Long Beach State hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and six fly balls while striking out six.
» Stone led the Aggies at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a home run and an RBI.
» Long Beach State was led offensively by junior Connor Burns, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.
» Senior Dalton Ponce led the Beach pitching staff, throwing three shutout innings.
