DAVIS, Calif. — Junior Noel Valdez was dominant on Saturday, punching out nine BYU hitters over six innings of work to help propel UC Davis past the Cougars 9-5, and secure UC Davis' second straight series win to begin the 2024 campaign.
The second straight series win to open up the season is UC Davis' first time doing so since the Aggies abbreviated 2020 season, a year which saw still stands today as one of the best starts in the schools Division I history.
The series win over BYU also signifies UC Davis' first series win over a Big 12 opponent in school history.
A main contributor to this cause was Valdez who went six innings in his start and had the Cougars off balance all-day with his pitch mix and competitiveness. To go along with his nine strikeouts, Valdez allowed only one run on six hits. Valdez's success stemmed from his presence around the strike zone, only allowing one walk during his start for UC Davis (4-2).
Offensively he Aggies were paced by junior
Mark Wolbert, who had a stellar day at the dish, going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Senior
Damian Stone continued to serve as a run driving cog in the Aggies manufacture-heavy offense, driving in two runs on a single and a walk in three at bats. Junior
Nick Leehey chipped in with a double and an RBI, as one of six Aggies who recorded at least one hit in the game.
UC Davis will look to extend their winning streak on Tuesday, as the Aggies host Pacific for their first mid-week test of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Davis wasted no time in taking control of the game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning capitalizing on some BYU miscues. The Aggies ability to put pressure on the Cougars defensively was apparent all week and was a theme of the larger scoring innings for UC Davis in the later innings.
The Cougars themselves were held in check against the Aggies' pitching and Valdez, while the UC Davis bats erupted for five runs in the fourth inning.
In this inning which plated five Aggies,
Riley Acosta got things going with a single which was followed up by
Leighton Helfrick getting hit by a pitch which then brought up Wolbert who singled through the left side to bring Acosta home from second.
Joey Wright would come up and the manufacture process would begin, laying down a bunt to the first base side which allowed Helfrick to score from home, beating the throw from the Cougars first baseman.
Stone would continue the scoring with a single up the middle, while
Alex Gouveia would drive in another run the following at bat. The scoring would eventually be capped off by a sacrifice fly from Leehey that extended the lead to 7-0.
BYU finally got on the board with an inside the park home run in the fifth inning, but the Aggies responded with two more runs in the sixth inning, thanks to Wolbert and Wright crossing the plate. The Cougars rallied for four runs in the final two innings and threatened at the lead, but it was too little, too late, as the Aggies secured the 9-5 victory.
GAME NOTES
» Wolbert compiled three hits in the game for UC Davis.
» Valdez struck out nine Cougars hitters.
» Every UC Davis starter reached base safely in the win.
» The UC Davis pitching staff combined to strike out 13 BYU hitters.
» UC Davis' highest scoring inning was the fourth, when it pushed five runs across.
» UC Davis took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Valdez put together six innings of one-run ball for the Aggies.
» UC Davis pitchers limited BYU to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
» Wolbert led the Aggies at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
» BYU was led offensively by sophomore Bryker Hurdsman, who went 1-for-5 with an inside the park home run and two RBI.
» Junior Jake Porter led the Cougars pitching staff, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings.
