GAME ONE
Score:  UC Davis 8, UC Santa Barbara 3
Winning Pitcher: Caroline Grimes (13-13)
Losing Pitcher: Sophia Clark (10-7)
Location: Davis, Calif. (La Rue Field)
Records: UC Davis 25-21 (14-8), UC Santa Barbara 26-21 (16-6)
 
GAME TWO
Score:  UC Davis 2, UC Santa Barbara 1
Winning Pitcher: Ashley Sawai (11-4)
Losing Pitcher: Malaya Johnson (10-9)
Location: Davis, Calif. (La Rue Field)
Records: UC Davis 26-21 (15-8), UC Santa Barbara 26-22 (16-7)
 
The short story: UC Davis softball used a doubleheader sweep over UC Santa Barbara to secure its spot at the Big West Championships, using power and pitching the Aggies controlled a windy Saturday afternoon at La Rue Field while showcasing their "Aqua Blue" Tahoe jerseys.
 
LEADING OFF

• UC Davis makes its first trip to the Big West Championships in program history (this is the second year of the Championships)
• The Aggies punched their ticket to the Championships with the first win of the day, locking in their spot following the 8-3 game one victory
• It's the first time the Aggies have swept UC Santa Barbara in a conference doubleheader since 2015
• Ashley Sawai was nails for the Aggies in the second game, putting together a one-run complete game performance, giving up just five hits, one walk while striking out three batters
• Caroline Grimes tossed her own complete game in the first game of the doubleheader, pitching the Aggies to the Big West Championships while recording five strikeouts
• Alyssa Dethlefson had a big day at the dish, going 2-for-4 with one run scored, one RBI and one walk
• Gia Felice led the way at the top of the lineup, going 3-for-7 with three runs scored and one stolen base
• The Aggies also showcased their power, getting home runs from Rylee Reeves and Clarie Shelton, a triple from Keira Brady and a double by Naomi Kalanetra

 
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• Reeves opened the Aggie scoring when she rode the wind out over the left center field wall, scoring Felice and Sydney Polli to quickly put UC Davis in front 3-0 at the end of the opening frame
• Kaylin Phillips poked a single to left that brought home a hustling Felice (single), adding to the Aggie lead to make it 4-0 after two innings
• UC Santa Barbara chipped into the Aggie lead and got on the board with a two-run home run in the third inning, making it 4-2 after the top of the third inning
• In the bottom of the frame, Shelton led off with a towering home run to centerfield on the first pitch that bounced off the top of the centerfield camera and put the Aggies up 5-2
• UC Santa Barbara got one more run in the top of the fourth, hitting a solo home run, but that would turn out to be the final run Grimes would give up as the Aggie pitcher locked in for the remaining three innings
• In the sixth, the Aggies put the finishing touches on their win scoring three runs when Dethlefson knocking in Vanessa Calvillo from second base and Polli hit a two-RBI single that brought home Dethlefson and Felice to make it 8-3
• In the seventh, Grimes battled to keep UC Santa Barbara off the board and after a ground out to second the Aggies celebrated their doubleheader opening win and their spot at the Big West Championships

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• In the second game UC Santa Barbara threw one of their best in Malaya Johnson and the Aggies countered with one of their best in Sawai and the set off on a pitcher's duel that did not disappoint
• The Aggies got on the board first scoring in the bottom of the third when Brady led things off with a triple to left field and she scored when the UC Santa Barbara catcher let a third strike bounce off her glove to give UC Davis a 1-0 lead
• UC Davis added to its lead when Kayla Macias knocked in Reeves to make it 2-0 over the opening four frames
• Sawai was dominate throughout, twice sitting down UC Santa Barbara in order and along the way she held opponent batters to a .192 average
• In the seventh, UC Santa Barbara made one last charge at the game, using a leadoff double to eventually score its first run of the game
• But the next batter would see just three pitches as Sawai put an exclamation point on the day for the Aggies freezing the final batter for a game-ending strikeout that gave UC Davis a 2-1 win and a doubleheader sweep

BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS: Fans can now buy tickets for the Big West Championships, which get started on May 6 and are hosted by Cal State Fullerton. Tickets can be bought by heading here.
 
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. 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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