DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis Aggies overcame a slow start and erupted late to beat Seattle U 8-4 on Sunday, securing the series for the Aggies on opening weekend.

Starting the ballgame for UC Davis was Noel Valdez who threw 4.1 innings while collecting three strikeouts in his Aggie debut. But it was Carter Delaney (1-0) who earned the win in relief for UC Davis (2-1) and he was electric in his appearance. He was tasked with entering into the ballgame to slow down a Seattle U offense that had been swinging it well throughout the early portions and limited them to just one hit through two scoreless frames.

Senior Kaden Hogan was also impressive, pitching a perfect inning to close the door on the Redhawks.

At the plate, the Aggies had a balanced offense led by Damian Stone, Leighton Helfrick and Jack Gallagher, who each drove in two runs.

The entire Aggie lineup recorded at least one hit in today's game with Joey Wright, Ethan Felix, and Helfrick all recording two hits to help fuel the Aggie comeback.

This is the second consecutive series win for the Aggies over Seattle U and their first opening weekend series win since their abbreviated 2020 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After being no-hit for 4.1 innings to begin the game, UC Davis's offense finally came alive late to turn the momentum around. Ethan Felix continued to stay hot at the plate, as he opened things up with the Aggies first hit in the bottom of the fifth. While unable to bring him home during the bottom half, it would be a sign of things to come for the Aggie offense moving forward.

In the sixth Nick Leehey jumpstarted the offensive production, bringing home Joey Wright for the first runs of the game for UC Davis. Leighton Helfrick followed right along with a single to left field to bring home another Aggie run and this would eventually give way to Jack Gallagher who slammed a double to the deep right-center gap scoring Leehey and Helfrick. The runs UC Davis was able to get in this important sixth inning all came with two outs.

The score stayed at 4-4 until the very next inning, when the Aggies put runs on the scoreboard once again. The UC Davis offense exploded for four more runs, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Stone, which brought the Aggies lead to 8-4. In this half inning of scoring for UC Davis, their dynamic speed and ability to execute on the offensive side of thing stood out.

The final two innings saw the scoring remain at 8-4 thanks in part to Carter Delaney and Kaden Hogan shutting the door on the Redhawks offense. From the seventh inning to the ninth, Delaney and Hogan limited Seattle U hitters to just one hit.

GAME NOTES
» Every UC Davis starter recorded a hit in the win.
» The Aggies out-hit the Redhawks at a 12-9 clip.
» UC Davis went 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position.
» UC Davis pitchers limited Seattle U to just 1-for-6 (.167) with runners in scoring position.
» UC Davis pitchers faced 39 Seattle U hitters in the game, striking out five.
» The Aggies drew four walks from Seattle U pitching.
» Seattle U was led offensively by junior Jackson Reed, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.
» Sophomore Luke Alwood led the Redhawks pitching staff, throwing five scoreless innings in his start.