PUERTO VALLARTA, Mex. -- Grace Kilday provided the heroics in the bottom of the seventh inning, driving home Sarah Nakahara from third base with her walk-off single to power UC Davis past Mississippi State.
Kenedi Brown was brilliant in the circle for UC Davis, picking up the complete game victory after surrendering just one run in her sparkling seven innings. The right-hander worked out of multiple jams to preserve the 1-1 scoreline, giving the Aggies a chance to win it in the final frame. Brown scattered eight hits on the day and struck out six Bulldogs in her masterful outing to earn her first win of the season.
Nakahara went 1-for-3 on the day with a double and Kilday put together a standout performance as well, going 1-for-3 with the game-winning RBI.
Libbie McMahan extended her hitting streak to five games and Sydney Polli notched a hit in the contest as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies snatched an early lead in their first turn at the plate when Anna Dethlefson came across to score following her walk to leadoff the ballgame. McMahan advanced Dethlefson with a sacrifice bunt before Leah Polson's ground out brought her around to score.
In the top of the third inning, Mississippi State then rallied to tie the ballgame at 1-1.
After three innings of scoreless ball, UC Davis put together one last rally to earn the thrilling win. Nakahara set the table by slapping a double down the left field line. In a pinch hit opportunity, Bri Weekes came through with a crucial sacrifice bunt to move Nakahara over to third. This set the stage for Kilday, with the winning run on third base. The catcher delivered the biggest swing of the day, a base hit to right field that scored Nakahara, winning it for Davis' team.
GAME NOTES
» Brown struck out six Bulldogs hitters.
» UC Davis took a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» UC Davis pitchers limited Mississippi State to just 1-for-11 (.091) with runners in scoring position.
» UC Davis pitchers faced 32 Mississippi State hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out six.
» Mississippi State was led offensively by freshman Kylee Edwards, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple.
» Senior Matalasi Faapito led the Bulldogs pitching staff, throwing 6.2 innings of two-run ball.
UP NEXT
The Ags begin a three-game series on Feb. 23 when Cal Baptist makes its way to Davis. First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets and Flexbooks are now available for purchase. Fans can head over to ucdavisaggies.com/tickets, email aggietickets@ucdavis.edu, or call (530) 752-2471 for more information.
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