UC Davis Athletics

BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS GAME ONE
Score:  UC Davis 5, Long Beach State
Winning Pitcher: Ashley Sawai (13-4)
Losing Pitcher: Isabella Alonso (12-7)
Location: Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Family Field)
Records: UC Davis 29-23, Long Beach State 29-22
 
The short story: UC Davis softball got production from both the circle and at the plate to help power itself to a game one victory over Long Beach State to open up the Big West Championships in the first game the Aggies have ever played at the conference championships.
 
LEADING OFF

• Caroline Grimes started, giving the Aggies a strong 5.1 innings, striking out seven and only giving up one walk along the way
• While Ashley Sawai finished off the game, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to collect the win and cap off a solid day from the Aggie aces
• The top half of the Aggie lineup was a force, with batters one-through-three going 6-for-11 with two runs and two RBIs between Gia Felice, Sydney Polli and Claire Shelton all giving the Aggies two hits each
• Keira Brady and Felice showed off the power, with Brady hitting a double and Felice adding a triple 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Long Beach State opened the scoring the first, when an RBI single made it 1-0 early, but Grimes would lock in and not allow another run until the fourth
• In the third, the Aggies chopped away at and passed the Beach with three runs scored when Polli smashed a single up the middle and Reeves put the ball in play resulting in an error that scored two Aggies making it 3-1
• In the fourth and sixth frames, Long Beach State chipped away at and eventually tied the Aggies at 3-3 after an RBI double in the sixth
• But in the bottom half of the sixth, the Aggies opened things up when Brady smashed a double to right center that brought home Marley Panziera
• Brady's double was followed up by Felice who hit a triple to left center that brought home the next Aggie run making it 5-3 and giving Sawai the room she needed to navigate the seventh inning
• In that final frame, Sawai sat The Beach batters down in order, and after a weak ground out to first ended the game, the Aggies celebrated with a huge hug and cheer in the circle as they punched their ticket to the next day and a matchup with the hosting top seeded Cal State Fullerton Titans.

ON TO THE NEXT DAY: UC Davis now heads to the second day and will face No. 1 seeded Cal State Fullerton, tomorrow May 7 at 1 p.m. for a chance to keep moving ahead in the winner's bracket. If the Aggies win they advance to Friday and will face the winner of the Hawai'i vs. UC Santa Barbara/UC San Diego game, a loss means UC Davis will play in its first elimination game that night (May 7) at 7 p.m. where they would face the loser between UC Santa Barbara/UC San Diego and Hawai'i.
 
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.
 
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