DAVIS, Calif. — A 10-run third inning during Tuesday's mid-week matchup lifted UC Davis over Pacific in emphatic fashion, as the Aggies routed the Tigers 17-3 at Phil Swimley Field and Dobbins Stadium.
UC Davis' offense was awake from the start, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first.
Mark Wolbert led the game off with a triple, splitting the right center gap and it would be a sign of things to come for the Aggies. Another big hit would follow with
Nick Leehey collecting two of his four RBIs on the day, blasting his second home run of the season with an absolute no-doubter over the left field fence giving UC Davis an early 3-0 advantage.
Holding the Tigers hitless for nearly five innings, it was the 10-run third inning that completely shifted the narrative of the game.
An inning that began with three straight walks, was broken open by
Riley Acosta who singled home two runs to start to scoring. Acosta's single would go down as one of four singles for UC Davis in the inning, as the Aggies capitalized on six free paths, and one error to reach their double figure total. After three innings, the Aggies would carry a two-touchdown lead with a 14-0 advantage.
In addition to the high-scoring offense from the Aggies, the staff day that happened on the pitching side was highlighted by
Alejandro Huezo (1-0) who picked up the victory out of the bullpen for UC Davis (5-2). The right-hander went two shutout innings without giving up a hit and was the most effective Aggie among today's bunch.
Sal Batres also made an impact on the mound for the Aggies, throwing one shutout inning while allowing one hit, with no walks and three strikeouts.
Carter Speights also much like Batres, made quick work of the Tiger offense with strikeouts, punching out three Tigers to finish off the ninth inning.
Individually on offense, the Aggies were paced by the slugging Leehey who went 2-for-3 to go along with his home run. He also added a walk in addition to his four RBIs. Junior
Jason Hanson and sophomore
Braydon Wooldridge were locked in today as well, each going 3-for-4 at the dish. Hanson recorded a double, a walk and two RBI, whereas Wooldridge, sprayed liners to the left side of the field all day, collecting a double and a walk.
Also standing out were a pair of freshmen who collected their first career hits with
Jaxon Murphy and
Jack Castagnola each securing a memory they will remember for the rest of their lives.
UC Davis with the win secured their third straight victory. The last time UC Davis won three games in a row was last season during a stretch of games that lasted from Mar. 27 - Apr. 1.
For Pacific, the Tigers were paced by four separate hitters who each collected one hit, with JT Shank fueling the run production, as he was responsible for two of Pacific's three RBIs on the day.
The Aggies will look to continue their winning ways this weekend down in Riverside, as the Aggies are scheduled to take on California Baptist University for a four-game set starting Friday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning. UC Davis scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run homer from Leehey.
The Tigers failed to push any runs across before the Aggies offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. UC Davis scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Hanson, which brought the score to 4-0 in favor of the Aggies.
UC Davis kept Pacific without a run before expanding their lead to 14-0 the following inning. The Aggies bats heated up in the inning, scoring 10 runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Leehey and a two-run single from freshman
Tyler Howard.
The Tigers fought back, closing the gap to 14-3 until UC Davis added some insurance in the seventh. The Aggies scored once on a run-scoring single off the bat of junior
Alex Gouveia, bringing the score to 15-3 in favor of UC Davis.
The Aggies kept Pacific scoreless before expanding their lead to 17-3 the following inning. Murphy's run-scoring single highlighted an inning where UC Davis scored twice. The score would hold at 17-3 for the rest of the game, as Speights would close things out with three punch outs.
GAME NOTES
» UC Davis got three-hit games from both Hanson and Wooldridge.
» Leehey drove in four runs for UC Davis.
» Every UC Davis starter reached base safely in the win.
» UC Davis took a 3-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» The Aggies had a total of 16 hits.
» The Aggies out-hit the Tigers at a 16-4 clip.
» Senior
Damian Stone stole two bases in Tuesday's game.
» UC Davis went 8-for-21 (.381) with runners in scoring position.
» UC Davis pitchers limited Pacific to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» The Aggies drew five walks from Pacific pitching.
» Leehey led the Aggies at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
» Pacific was led offensively by freshman JT Shank, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
