Score: UC Davis 6, Santa Clara 2
Winning Pitcher: Keenan Anzai (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Victor Martinez (0-1)
Location: Davis, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 5-2, Santa Clara 3-3
 
The short story: UC Davis dominated Santa Clara from start to finish, picking up a 6-2 victory on Sunday, to help secure a second straight series win to begin the season. The Aggies took an early lead and never looked back, scoring in four different innings while their pitching staff combined for a strong performance that allowed only one earned run.
 
FIRST PITCH

• Korey Williams led the Aggies offensively, going 2-for-2 with two RBI and two walks
• Fellow Elk Grove native Evan Gentil also paced the Aggie offense going 2-for-4 on the day with an RBI, while Jaxon Murphy added an RBI single
• Keenan Anzai was stellar out of the bullpen, earning his first collegiate win
• Anzai allowed just two hits over three scoreless innings with three strikeouts
• The Aggies' pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts and held Santa Clara to just 6 hits
• On the season, UC Davis has a 1.97 ERA which ranks lowest amongst all Big West teams
• The difference in today's game was the staff's ability to limit every Bronco scoring chance, with Santa Clara going 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position
• UC Davis on the other hand, capitalized on their scoring opportunities, going 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position
• Santa Clara's Tate Medicoff went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Ben Cleary added two hits
• UC Davis also made the most of Santa Clara's command struggles on the hill with elite plate discipline, drawing 10-free bases, which included nine walks and one hit-by-pitch

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• UC Davis struck first when Williams scored on a sacrifice fly by Braydon Wooldridge, giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead
• Santa Clara tied the game at 1-1 after Mateo Garcia grounded out to second, scoring Cleary, who reached on an error earlier in the inning
• The Aggies reclaimed the lead when Murphy drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Riley Acosta to make it 2-1
• UC Davis extended its lead with two more runs in the fifth
• Williams singled home Nick Leehey, and Gentil followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 4-1
• The insurance runs would come again in the following inning with Acosta driving in Alex Gouveia with an RBI single, and Williams drawing another Aggie bases-loaded walk to make it 6-1
• Santa Clara scored its final run on an RBI double by Tate Medicoff, cutting the deficit to 6-2 in the eighth while the bullpen closed the door for another series win

 
UP NEXT: UC Davis will look to carry this momentum with them on the road, traveling to Pacific on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. PT for the season's first game away from Phil Swimley Field.
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