Score:  UC Davis 0, UC Santa Barbara 3
Winning Pitcher: Ainsley Waddell (3-4)
Losing Pitcher: Caroline Grimes (13-14)
Save: Malaya Johnson (1)
Location: Davis, Calif. (La Rue Field)
Records: UC Davis 26-22 (15-9), UC Santa Barbara 27-22 (17-7)
 
The short story: UC Davis softball celebrated seniors Gia Felice, Bri Weekes and Caroline Grimes on senior day, but would drop a close game in its series finale to UC Santa Barbara in the final home game of the 2026 campaign.
 
LEADING OFF

• Before the game the three Aggie seniors caught first pitches from their fathers and following the game a ceremony was held honoring Felice, Weekes and Grimes
• Grimes threw a complete game on the day, giving up two earned runs and allowing just one walk
• Felice spent the day in the leadoff spot going 2-for-3 and Weekes added a hit of her own to set a career-high for hits in a single season
• Sydney Polli added a pair of hits and reached when she was hit by a pitch

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both sides remained off the scoreboard over the opening three frames, with Grimes battling through each frame with confidence keeping UC Santa Barbara off the board, including sitting down the Gauchos in order the second and not allowing a runner to reach scoring position in the third
• In the fourth, UC Santa Barbara got on the board when Ella Myers hit a solo home run to dead center to make it 1-0
• The Aggies did threaten in the fifth, getting a pair of lead off walks that knocked out the starting pitcher, but UC Davis could not get a run across which would have at least tied the game
• UC Santa Barbara would add to its lead with a run in the sixth and seventh inning but thanks to a diving catch on the seventh-inning sacrifice fly by Olivia McFarland the score would sit at 3-0 heading into the final half of the seventh
• Felice and Polli led off the seventh with back-to-back singles, but again the Aggies could not get runs across the dish, eventually falling 3-0 to UC Santa Barbara to wrap up the weekend

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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