Teams: UC Davis vs. Santa Clara
Records: Aggies, 8-7; Broncos, 10-3
Where: Dobbins Baseball Complex; Schott Stadium – Santa Clara, Calif.
When: Today at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Who to watch: Before UC Davis’ 18-8 pounding of Nevada on Wednesday, junior outfielder Ryan Scoma had been hitting the cover off the ball, batting .429 in 13 games.
But even for the red-hot Scoma, Wednesday was remarkable.
The San Carlos, Calif. native went 4-for-5 with six RBI and slugged one of the Aggies’ two grand slams in the second inning.
Did you know? Junior catcher Jake Jefferies has been making contact hard and often to start the season, and the statistical results are mind-boggling.
The backstop has compiled a team-high 29 hits in 63 at-bats and still has yet to strike out.
Preview: After five days away from Dobbins Baseball Complex, the Aggies are back and looking to snap their four-game losing streak at home.
The Broncos are coming off a challenging weekend at the San Diego State Tournament where they played against four nationally recognized opponents and finished with a split.
Santa Clara beat No. 11 San Diego and previously ranked San Diego State, but fell to No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Oregon State, the defending NCAA Division I National Champion.
When the Broncos and Aggies met last season, the teams split a four-game series in Santa Clara. The series was tight, as one game was decided by one run and another by two.
Today, junior right-hander Eddie Gamboa will take the mound for UC Davis in his fourth start of the season. The Aggie ace is 2-0 on the year with a 3.50 ERA and has 19 strikeouts in 18 innings of work. In his last start, the Merced, Calif. native gave up six runs in six innings to Portland, but only two were earned, and he struck out eight Pilots.
Making the start for the Broncos will be sophomore right-hander Nate Garcia. So far this season, the hometown Santa Clara, Calif. native has been just as phenomenal on the mound as Gamboa.
The Bellarmine Prep product is 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA in three starts while striking out 18 batters in 18 1/3 innings.
