DAVIS, Calif. — Four different Aggies combined to toss a shutout, against the high-octane offense of UC San Diego, as UC Davis blanked the Tritons 2-0 in a stormy afternoon at Phil Swimley Field and Dobbins Stadium.
The Tritons who entered the game with an impressive 15-4 record, were near the top of the Big West in every offensive category had not been shutout in any of their past 19 games. Throw in last year's success as well with the fact that the Tritons are the reigning Big West champions, and UC Davis' past two wins which include the miraculous comeback against UC Irvine have to be up for consideration as Coach Tommy Nicholson's two best wins in his head coaching career.
Against the Tritons, the Aggies' quartet of pitchers executed a flawless game, battling through a Saturday that saw the elements play as much a part in the contest as the players themselves.
Junior Bryan Green, with his performance today, improved his record to 1-1, and also improved UC Davis, to 11-9 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Green's five scoreless innings were a testament to his control and presence around the strike zone today, as he allowed only three hits and three walks while striking out six batters. This outing extended his streak of scoreless innings to 12, a carryover from his last outing against nationally ranked UC Irvine the previous Friday.
Junior Carter Delaney emerged from the bullpen with the save, contributing two impeccable innings without a hit and earning his first career save. Facing the minimum in his outing, Delaney allowed his defense to make plays for him as he rolled up five groundouts and was efficient in making quick work of the opposing hitters.
While Delaney was really impressive the most important inning may have been the short-lived appearance from Kaden Riccomini in the seventh inning, as the senior came into the ballgame with two-runners on and was able to get two straight outs with just two pitches. Given the scenario in which the Tritons had the tying run on the base paths and how rampant the rain was when Riccomini entered, it was a huge swing moment in the game that carried momentum into the final two innings for Delaney's appearance.
With dominant pitching from both teams serving as the focal point of the game, timely hitting from the Aggies lineup was able to provide just enough run support to get the job done and that charge was led by senior Damian Stone, who had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Junior Mark Wolbert also made significant contributions, going 2-for-3, while sophomore Joey Wright added a double in his three at-bats. Along with Stone's RBI, the Aggies other run producer was Braydon Wooldridge who brought home Stone with a grounder to begin the scoring in the first inning.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies took the lead for good in the first, scoring after Wooldridge reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Stone to come across to score the lone run of the inning for UC Davis and get them on the board.
The Aggies then tacked on a run in the third inning to complete their scoring in the ballgame. That run came across on an RBI single off the bat of Stone.
A game dominated by pitching, the combined effort from Green, Kaden Hogan, Riccomini, and Delaney was the decider as the Aggies were able to shutout the Tritons who threatened with runners in scoring position just three times in the ballgame.
GAME NOTES
» Four UC Davis pitchers combined to throw a four-hit shutout.
» Green struck out six Tritons hitters.
» UC Davis grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» The Aggies out-hit the Tritons at a 7-4 clip.
» UC Davis pitchers faced 36 UCSD hitters in the game, allowing 12 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out eight.
» Stone led the Aggies at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
» UCSD was led offensively by freshman Michael Crossland, who went 1-for-2.
» Sophomore Anthony Eyanson led the Tritons pitching staff, throwing seven innings of two-run ball.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will take on the Tritons for game two tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (PT).
