UC Davis Athletics

Score:  UC Davis 4, Cal Poly 3
Winning Pitcher: Maia Scholtens (3-2)
Losing Pitcher: Amy Ross (1-4)
Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Bob Janssen Field)
Records: UC Davis 28-23 (17-10), Cal Poly 11-35 (5-22)
 
The short story: UC Davis softball locked up its program record 17th Big West conference win and its spot as the No. 4 seed at the Big West Championships with a series winning victory at Cal Poly in the regular season finale with the Aggies taking two out of three over the weekend.
 
LEADING OFF

• The Aggies set a program record with 17 Big West wins, besting the previous mark of 15 wins set in 2023 and it's the most conference wins in a season for the Aggies since 2003
• Maia Scholtens came out of the pen to throw three nearly flawless frames to earn the win, striking out two while allowing no earned runs or walks
• Claire Shelton led the Aggies at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run scored
• Naomi Kalanetra knocked in a game-high two runs while going 1-for-3 with one walk 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the first both sides scored with the Aggies coming out of the gate fast when they loaded the bases for Kalanetra who drew a walk to knock in the game's first run and after Cal Poly responded in the bottom half the game was tied 1-1
• Much like the first frame, in the fourth and fifth innings both sides would bounce off each other with Cal Poly responding with one run in both frames to the Aggies scoring one of their own in each frame
• In the fourth Gia Felice recorded a sacrifice fly that scored Alyssa Dethlefson and in the fifth Kalanetra smashed an RBI double down the left field line
• But in both frames Cal Poly tied things and heading into the sixth the score was knotted up at 3-3
• UC Davis would take the lead for good in the sixth, and things were started by Kayla Macias who led off with a single
• After being sacrificed over to second, Macias was pinch run for by Vanessa Calvillo who made it over to third with two outs
• Cal Poly then gave Calvillo an opening when the first pitch of the next at-bat sailed over the catcher's head for a wild pitch that Calvillo used to scurry home and put the Aggies in the lead at 4-3
• Scholtens then put the finishing touches on the game, striking out the final batter to strand the tying run at third, locking up the Aggie 4-3 victory that gave UC Davis the series win to put a cap on its regular season

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UC Davis Softball (@ucdavissoftball)

ON TO THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: UC Davis enters the Big West Championships as the No. 4 seed and will face Long Beach State (No. 5 seed) on May 6 at 1 p.m. down in Fullerton, Calif. A win in that game advances the Aggies to the next day and a 1 p.m. match up with No. 1 seed and hosting Cal State Fullerton. If the Aggies lose, they will play late that evening against the loser of the second game on the first day in the championship's first elimination game.
 
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.
 
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.
 
  Read Full Article