Score:  UC Davis 6, Cal State Fullerton 5
Winning Pitcher: Ashley Sawai (6-4)
Losing Pitcher: Eva Hurtado (6-4)
Location: Davis, Calif. (La Rue Field)
Records: UC Davis 17-17 (6-6), Cal State Bakersfield 21-11 (10-2)
 
The short story: Four runs in the seventh, capped off by a walk-off RBI from Kaylin Phillips gave UC Davis softball an exciting comeback victory over No. 4 (D1 Softball Mid-Major Top 25) Cal State Fullerton in the Big West weekend series finale.
 
LEADING OFF

• Cal State Fullerton came into the game ranked No. 4 in both the D1 Softball and Softball American Mid-Major Top 25 poll
• Phillips went 2-for-2 on the day, and with two RBIs and her sacrifice fly in the seventh walked things off for the Aggies
• Gia Felice led off, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, one triple and the Aggie infielder would score the winning run
• Caroline Grimes gave the Aggies 6.2 of work, before Ashley Sawai put the finishing touches on the outing for UC Davis
• It's the first win for the Aggies over Cal State Fullerton since 2024
• La Rue Field was packed for the game, drawing an official number of 400 the biggest crowd to take in an Aggie softball game at home since senior day 2024 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Things were scoreless after the opening two frames, before the bottom of the third where the Aggies took their first lead of the day
• Claire Shelton led the third off with a double to right center and with one out, Annika Norquist recorded her first career hit with a bloop single to left field that brought home Shelton who had advanced to third on the previous out, giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead after the opening three frames
• A pair of Cal State Fullerton RBI doubles in the fifth put the Titans in front 2-1, but in the sixth the Aggies had an answer
• With Marley Panziera on first, Phillips smashed a two-out RBI double to center field to score Panziera and tie things up at 2-2
• In the top of the seventh, Fullerton would get to Grimes hitting a pair of back-to-back home runs to retake the lead at 5-2
• But after Sawai finished off the top half of the frame, the table was set for a UC Davis comeback
• Shelton and Rylee Reeves opened the frame with back-to-back walk, each battling past at least five pitches in each at-bat and battling two strikes to extend the game
• Keira Brady then pinch hit, stepping into the box and promptly ripping a 1-1 double down the left field line to score Shelton
• Felice then took her stop, and did not waste time taking the first pitch she saw deep to right center field, going hard out of the box and scrambling to third for a two RBI triple to tie things up at 5-5
• The Aggies would then load the bases and with one out Phillips entered the box with a chance to win the game
• After seeing three pitches, Phillips lifted a 2-1 pitch to center field deep enough to score Felice from third to cap off the come back with a walk off sacrifice fly
• And as the Aggies mobbed Phillips at first, the final was posted with UC Davis ending the weekend with an exciting 6-5 conference win

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TICKETS: General admission for all games runs $13 while youth (3-13), UC Davis staff members and fans Seniors (65+) can get in the door for $10. Group outings (minimum of 10) can get their tickets at $10 a piece. With the $80 Flexbook, fans receive 10 general admission ticket vouchers that can be redeemed for any of the four home meets during the season in any combination desired. Fans can secure their spot at La Rue Field by hitting the link, by calling the Aggie Ticket Office at (530) 752-2471 or by emailing the Aggie Ticket Office at aggietickets@ucdavis.edu.
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: UC Davis, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States in agriculture and forestry as well as No. 1 in veterinary medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.
 
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