DAVIS, Calif. – Utah Valley University dropped both ends of a Friday doubleheader, 7-1 and 7-4, to open a four-game series at UC Davis.
In the opening game, the Aggies (5-4) got a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first from Tanner Murray on a three-RBI day for the UC Davis shortstop.
The score remained 1-0 until the fifth, when the Aggies put together consecutive three-run frames. Jalen Smith had an RBI single and Murray a two-run single. In the sixth, Alejandro Lara had an RBI double and Smith drove in two more with a base hit to extend it to a 7-0 lead.
The Wolverines (1-7) got on the board in the eighth after back-to-back base hits from
Trevor Howell and
Michael Beltran, followed by an RBI groundout off the bat of
Ryan Eastburn.
Paul Estrada went 3-for-4 with base hits in the second, seventh and ninth.
In the night cap – a scheduled 7-inning contest –
Kody Hall went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and
Drew Sims had two hits and scored twice, but UC Davis got a go-ahead home run from Garrett Kelly in a three-run sixth that was the difference in the game. A pair of two-out RBI singles from Logan Denholm and Joseph Myers added runs and gave the Aggies insurance runs.
UC Davis jumped ahead with three in the first inning before the Wolverines got two of those runs right back in the second. Sims led off with a single and later scored on an RBI base hit by
Kade Poulsen. Hall followed with an RBI single into right that plated
Jake Plecas.
After a sacrifice fly in the second drove in the fourth run for the Aggies, making it a 4-2 game, UVU got back-to-back doubles from Sims and
Alexander Marco to again make it a one-run game, 4-3, after three innings.
In the sixth, Estrada and Plecas both singled to lead off the inning. After Poulsen sacrificed both runners over, Hall delivered hit No. 3 to drive in Estrada and tie it 4-4. The potential go-ahead run was thwarted when Plecas was cut down at the plate.
The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT with the finale slated for Sunday at 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT.
