Score: UC Davis 2, Hawai'i 7
Winning Pitcher: Itsuki Takemoto (2-3)
Losing Pitcher: Noel Valdez (2-2)
Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
Records: UC Davis 11-8 (3-1), Hawai'i 15-5 (4-3)
The short story: Despite a two-run home run by
Braydon Wooldridge, UC Davis fell to Hawai'i 7-2 on Saturday night, marking the Aggies' first loss in Big West play. The Rainbow Warriors took control early with a three-run first inning and rode a strong start from pitcher Itsuki Takemoto to secure the win. UC Davis' bullpen, led by
Mason Lerma, provided stability late, but Hawai'i's early offensive surge proved decisive.
FIRST PITCH
- Braydon Wooldridge powered UC Davis' offense with a two-run homer in the fourth inning, his second of the season
- Wooldridge now has a 10-game hitting streak, the longest active streak on the team
- Tyler Howard continued his own hot streak, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, giving him his third multi-hit game of the season
- Howard now has also reached base in all 10 games he has played in this season
- Mason Lerma delivered 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, striking out one and allowing zero hits
- Hawai'i's Jared Quandt paced the Rainbow Warrior offense with a three-run triple in the first inning, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBI
- Matthew Miura also had a noteworthy day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored
- Led by Jared Quandt's three-RBI triple, Hawai'i excelled in the clutch, going 6-for-14 with runners on base and 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position
- Hawai'i starter Itsuki Takemoto stood out on the mound, limiting UC Davis with 7.0 innings, 4 hits, and 7 strikeouts, earning his second win
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hawai'i struck first with Quandt's bases-clearing triple off Valdez, taking an early 3-0 lead
- Wooldridge brought UC Davis back into the game with a two-run homer to right center, scoring Howard and cutting the deficit to 3-2
- Hawai'i extended its lead to 6-2 behind a two-run double by Takemoto and an RBI single from Ben Zeigler-Namoa
- Zeigler-Namoa added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly, pushing the score to 7-2
- UC Davis' bullpen held the opposition hitless over the final 2.2 innings, but the Rainbow Warrior pitching staff on the flip side, stifled the Aggies' offense, holding UC Davis without a hit over the final five frames to help secure the 7-2 victory for Hawai'i
UP NEXT: The Aggies will look to bounce back Sunday, March 23, at 4:05 p.m. PT, with
Tyler Wood scheduled to start against Hawai'i's Liam O'Brien.
