UC Davis Athletics

BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS GAME FOUR
Score:  UC Davis 0, Cal State Fullerton 4
Winning Pitcher: Eva Hurtado (15-4)
Losing Pitcher: Caroline Grimes (13-15)
Location: Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Family Field)
Records: UC Davis 29-24, Cal State Fullerton 38-13
 
The short story: UC Davis softball failed to capitalize during its game against the top seeded Cal State Fullerton Titans, and despite getting a dominating pitching performance out of the pen from Maia Scholtens the Aggies lost their first game at the Big West Championships and now move into the elimination bracket.
 
LEADING OFF

• Scholtens threw four scoreless frames, striking out four along the way while giving up just one walk to one of the best lineups in the conference
• Sydney Polli led the Aggies at the dish going 2-for-4
• Both Gia Felice and Alyssa Dethlefson provided stellar defensive plays during the game helping to keep the Aggies in the game throughout

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Cal State Fullerton scored two runs in the first and second innings to build out its early 4-0 lead, but the great defense and pitching from Scholtens meant that's all they would get
• The Aggies did have their shots at the game, loading the bases twice, once in the second and again in the fourth but in both situations, UC Davis failed to score any runs and cut into the Cal State Fullerton lead
• In the bottom of the fourth, with two outs and a runner at second the Titan batter poked a single to right field, but Dethlefson was quick on the draw fielding the base hit in stride to deliver a nearly perfect throw to Naomi Kalanetra who swiped the runner with the tag, ending the inning and keeping Cal State Fullerton from expanding its lead
• During the bottom half of the sixth, Felice ended things when she made a nice over the shoulder grab in foul territory to end any Cal State Fullerton threats and give the Aggies one more shot
• But despite getting a few runners on, the Aggies would run out of outs in the seventh and fall in their first game at the championships.

BACK TONIGHT: UC Davis returns to the field tonight at 7 p.m. for an elimination game against No. 5 Long Beach State. It is a rematch of yesterday's opening game where the Aggies won 5-3, forcing Long Beach State to beat No. 6 UC San Diego last night to stay alive and move into a position to take on the Aggies for a second-straight day. A win by the Aggies keeps them in Fullerton and moves them to tomorrow where they will face the loser of today's Hawai'i/UC Santa Barbara matchup set to be played before UC Davis takes on Long Beach State.
 
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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