LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC Davis scored three runs in the top of the first and that proved to be enough as the Aggies hung on for a 5-2 victory over UC San Diego in the first game of a four-game series on Friday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
 
With the win, the Aggies improved to 13-33 overall and 7-22 in Big West play, while UC San Diego fell to 15-26 overall and 12-17 in the conference.
 
UC Davis starter Jake Spillane (3-7) allowed two runs over 6.2 innings to earn the win, scattering five hits and two walks while striking out five. Despite suffering the loss, UC San Diego starter Cameron Leonard (3-6) got stronger as the game went on. Leonard threw a career-high eight innings, retiring the final 10 batters he faced.
  
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies got on the board with a three-spot in the top of the first thanks to three singles and a pair of RBI groundouts. Only one of the three runs was earned.
 
Trailing 5-0, the Tritons plated a run in the bottom of the sixth when right fielder Tate Soderstrom lifted a sac fly to left field plating shortstop Michael Fuhrman for UC San Diego's first run.
 
In the home half of the seventh with one out, Tritons' catcher Paul Gozzo smoked a ball over the wall in left field – his third homer of the season – making the score 5-2. UC San Diego had runners on second and third with two outs, but pinch hitter Aaron Kim struck out to end the inning.
 
In the top of the ninth with one away, Aggies' shortstop Kyler Arenado lifted the ball out onto the warning track in left, where Tritons' left fielder Tyler Weiner made a spectacular diving catch for the second out.
 

?? Tyler Weiner with the diving catch in left!

Watch on ESPN3 ?? https://t.co/QTR6mFKhPe#GoTritons | #SCTopTen pic.twitter.com/vMC8lJOQaT

— UC San Diego Baseball (@UCSDbsb) May 15, 2021

 
With two outs and no one on in the last of the ninth, Fuhrman and Weiner registered back-to-back singles, extending the game for third baseman Blake Baumgartner. Baumgartner drew a walk to load the bases for Soderstrom, who struck out to end the game.

QUOTABLE
"I thought Cameron Leonard threw the ball really well. Obviously, the multiple errors in the first inning and mistakes were pretty critical when you look back at the way that game played out and the way that inning played out cost us two runs," said head coach Eric Newman. "I told the guys when we show up on the first pitch of the game, we can't ease our way into the game. We've got to be ready to go right out of the gate. Once we got through the first three innings, we were definitely the aggressor of the last six innings of the game, it's just a five-run deficit becomes difficult to overcome. We've got to come out tomorrow, regroup on that and be better right out of the gate."

TRITON TIDBITS

• Baumgartner was 0-for-4 with a walk, snapping his hitting streak at eight games.
• The Tritons came into Friday's game second in the Big West with 34 homers as a team.
• UC San Diego left 11 runners on base.
• Leonard threw 69 strikes in 99 pitches over eight innings.
• Aggies' lefty Zach Carrell pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn his first save of the season.

UP NEXT
The Tritons and Aggies continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:02 p.m., and both games will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Ted Mendenhall calling the action.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.

Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.