Score: UC Irvine 4, UC Davis 1
Location: Irvine, Calif. (Anteater Ballpark)
Records: UC Davis 11-15 (5-8 Big West), UC Irvine 12-17 (4-6 Big West)
THE SHORT STORY: UC Davis dropped the opener the series at UC Irvine on Thursday night, falling 4-1 at Anteater Ballpark. Anteater starter Trevor Hansen was the story, holding the Aggies to one run on six hits across 8.1 innings while striking out nine in the outing. UC Davis falls to 11-15 overall and 5-8 in Big West play.
LEADING OFF
- Keenan Anzai gave UC Davis a strong start on the hill, going four innings and holding UC Irvine to just one earned run. Anzai struck out seven and exited the game at 91 pitches.
- Mason Lerma followed with four strong innings of his own in relief, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out six. The UC Davis tandem of Lerma and Anzai combined for 13 strikeouts on the night.
- Elijah McNeal paced the UC Davis offense with a 2-for-4 night, while Joey Wright provided the Aggies' lone extra-base hit and manufactured their only run, doubling to center to open the third before scoring on Braydon Wooldridge's RBI groundout.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Irvine did its damage early and held on from there. The Anteaters broke through in the bottom of the second, when Rowan Felsch led off with a home run to right center to put UC Irvine on the board at 1-0. Later in the inning, Daniel Polasek reached on a throwing error, and Zach Doyle followed with a two-run triple to right center that scored Polasek as an unearned run to extend the advantage to 2-0.
- UC Davis answered in the top of the third. Wright led off with a double to center, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Story, and scored on Wooldridge's groundout to right to pull the Aggies within 2-1.
- The Anteaters reclaimed the two-run cushion in the bottom of the third on a passed ball pushing the UC Irvine lead to 3-1.
- UC Irvine tacked on a fourth run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1. McNeal singled with two outs in the ninth to give the Aggies a spark, but the rally could not sustain, and the score held at 4-1.
UP NEXT
UC Davis returns to Anteater Ballpark on Friday night looking to even the series. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
