Score: UC Davis 6, UC Riverside 3
Location: Riverside, Calif. (Riverside Sports Complex)
Winning Pitcher: Mason Lerma (2-3)
Save: Carter Delaney (6)
Losing Pitcher: Noah Andrunas (2-4)
Records: UC Davis 27-25 (11-15), UC Riverside 15-33 (5-21)
The short story: Nick Leehey's 5-for-5 day powered a 15-hit performance from the Aggies to secure their third straight win. On the hill,
Carter Delaney earned his team-high sixth save after shutting down the Highlanders in the final three innings to help the Aggies get two games above .500, and also their third straight Big West series victory.
LEADING OFF
- Leehey's 5-for-5 day included a double, and two RBIs
- Jason Hanson and Ryan Lee joined in on the hit parade, each going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI
- Mason Lerma earned the win for UC Davis, pitching 1.2 innings with two hits, one walk, and a strikeout
- Delaney threw 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two
- UC Davis continued to strike early, with the highest scoring inning for the Aggies taking place in the first, when it pushed three runs across
- After taking this early lead, the Aggies didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game
- Four Aggies had multiple hits in the ballgame
- Cole Koniarsky for UC Riverside was a standout, going 2-for-4 with an RBI
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Aggies opened the game swinging, tallying three runs in the top of the first to take an early lead
- The Highlanders were held scoreless while the Aggies' bats stayed hot, adding another run to make it a 4-0 ballgame
- Sophomore Leighton Helfrick rounded the bases to plate the second inning's sole run for UC Davis
- The Highlanders chipped away at the deficit, trimming the lead to a slim 4-3
- In the seventh, the Aggies padded their lead with Lee lacing a two-out RBI double to left field
- The Aggies' pitching staff silenced the Highlanders' lineup in the subsequent frame
- Clutch hitting from Leehey, delivered more insurance in the eighth, pushing the score to 6-3 in favor of UC Davis
- The Aggies closed out the game, preserving the three-run margin and securing the victory with Delaney earning his team-high sixth save of the season
NOTABLE
- Nick Leehey was the second Aggie this season to record five hits in a game, joining Jason Hanson, as the first pair of teammates to achieve the feat in the same season since 2018
- Leehey extended his reached base streak to 18 games
- Coach Tommy Nicholson recorded his 50th career win
NEXT UP
UC Davis has a chance to sweep UC Riverside in tomorrow's getaway game, with first pitch against the Highlanders scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (PT).
