Score: UC Davis 6, Cal State Fullerton 2
Location: Fullerton, Calif. (Goodwin Field)
Records: UC Davis 23-24 (12-15 Big West), Cal State Fullerton 21-25 (13-11 Big West)
THE SHORT STORY: UC Davis completed the program's first-ever series sweep over Cal State Fullerton with a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Goodwin Field.
Ethan Felix continued a remarkable series with a two-run home run in the second and an RBI single in the sixth, finishing the weekend 4-for-9 with three home runs and nine RBIs.
Tyler Howard punctuated the sweep with a solo home run in the ninth and scored five runs across the three games.
Taylor Werth (2-2) earned the win in relief Sunday, and five UC Davis pitchers combined to limit Cal State Fullerton to two runs.
LEADING OFF
- Felix went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the second and an RBI single in the sixth, finishing the series 4-for-9 with three home runs and nine RBIs and pushing his season totals to a .284 average, five home runs, 18 RBIs, and team-high .901 OPS
- Howard added a solo home run to center in the ninth, his fourth long ball of the year, and scored five runs across the three-game sweep with two stolen bases
- Werth (2-2) earned the win after two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts on 27 pitches
- Grayson Bonanno opened with four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks with two strikeouts on 66 pitches
- Joey Wright finished 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI hit by pitch in the sixth, and a walk
- Zach Story added a 2-for-4 day to extend his weekend on-base run, and Jaxon Murphy went 2-for-5 with two runs scored
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Felix opened the scoring in the second inning with a two-run home run to left field, plating Murphy for a 2-0 UC Davis lead.
- The Aggies added another in the third when Kai Mault reached on a sacrifice bunt that became a fielding error by the pitcher, scoring Wright to push the lead to 3-0.
- UC Davis tacked on two more in the sixth: Felix singled to right field to plate Elijah McNeal, and Wright was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Murphy for a 5-0 lead.
- Cal State Fullerton broke through in the bottom of the eighth on consecutive RBI singles by Mason Ortega and Esteban Olazaba to cut the deficit to 5-2.
- Howard added insurance with a solo home run to center field in the top of the ninth, making it 6-2 in favor of UC Davis.
- Lerma worked around traffic in the bottom of the ninth to close out the win, with Bonanno, Werth, Meek and Storjohann combining for the first 7.0 innings to set the table.
UP NEXT
UC Davis returns home Tuesday, May 5 to host Sacramento State in a Causeway rivalry midweek matchup, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Dobbins Stadium.
