It’s official. The Aggies can hit. UC Davis showed off its Big West Conference-leading offense at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium this past weekend in its first conference road series with UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos (22-11, 6-3) entered the three-game series with the top overall record in the Big West, but the Aggies (22-11, 5-1) leapfrogged them atop the standings as their white-hot bats ignited a second-straight league series win. Friday – UCSB 9, UC Davis 2 The Aggies aren’t used to losing this season, especially when their ace is on the mound. Opening up his team’s Big West road schedule, senior right-hander Eddie Gamboa lost for the first time this season as UCSB powered past UC Davis, 9-2. Gamboa (5-1, 2.64) gave up a season-high seven runs and 10 hits over five innings. The Merced, Calif. native struck out four and only walked one, but his defense committed four errors behind him. “That just wasn’t the Aggies out there,” said head coach Rex Peters. “Eddie wasn’t himself on the mound, we didn’t play well defensively and our bats were slow. We were just a tired team on Friday.” Three of the Gaucho runs came courtesy of senior outfielder Mike Zuanich, who homered twice. Sophomore right-hander Mike Ford pitched eight strong innings for UCSB, holding the Aggies to just two runs despite four walks. “He pitched well, no question,” said Peters of Ford. “But we were just asleep at the wheel and needed a good night’s rest to come back on Saturday.”

Teams: UC Davis vs. Louisville Records: Aggies, 5-8; Cardinals, 8-4 Where: U of L Lacrosse Stadium – Louisville, Ky. When: Today at noon Who to watch: After posting a measly .351 save percentage and allowing 37 goals during the team’s last two matches, senior goalkeeper Hilary Harkins looks to be back on track as the Aggies hit the final stretch of their season.

Although as much as 75 percent of the total oil spills in the state occur on inland waters, there are currently no penalties and a severely limited response structure. California State Representative Lois Wolk is working to change this with two bills she has introduced to the state assembly. “Right now no agency is responsible for command authority,” Wolk said. “There are civil and criminal penalties for marine spills, but they don’t apply to inland spills, which are more common.” Josh Basofin, a California representative of Defenders of Wildlife, a cosponsor of the bills, also said there is no command structure for inland oil spill response.

Archaeologists work to uncover peace Efforts by Ran Boytner, an archaeologist at UCLA, and Swartz Dodd, an archaeologist at USC, could aid the peace process in the Middle East. The two have led a team, comprised of highly regarded Israeli and Palestinian archaeologists, in creating an agreement as to the disposition of historical artifacts if a Palestinian state is formed. “Israelis and Palestinians never previously had sat down to achieve a structured balanced agreement to govern the region’s archaeological heritage,” said Dodd in a press release. “Our group got together with the vision of a future when people wouldn’t be at each other’s throats and archaeology would need to be protected, irrespective of which side of the border it falls on.”

080414_fe_dailycal.CTODAYCooking Club meeting5:10 to 6 p.m.Fielder Room, second floor of Memorial UnionCome to the Cooking Club’s first meeting of the spring!Western University College of Veterinary Medicine5 to 6 p.m.1150 HartGo hear about the first College of Veterinary Medicine to open with a strictly problem-based learning curriculum, a female dean and a serious reverence-for-life philosophy. Dr. […]

080414_fe_bandanaproject.CHeadline: Silent no moreLayercake: Bandana Project gives voice to sexual harassment victimsBy JACKSON YANAggie Staff Writer For fear of sexual harassment, farm workers drape bandanas across their faces to avoid unwanted sexual advances. To Juanita Ontiveros of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, it represents a self-imposed gag order to victims of these crimes. “Symbolically, […]

080414_sp_wgolf.CHeadline: Roughton fires season-best 71, Aggies take fifth at Peg Bernard Layercake: Big West Conference Championships on the horizonMATT MILLERAggie Staff Writer Entering the final day of tournament play, senior Sydney Roughton was ready to go. After carding a middling 77 on the first day, Roughton responded by knocking off six strokes to lead the […]

I’m sure you already know, UC Davisites, that Picnic Day is just around the corner! Time to get your flasks, your bota bags and your Nalgene bottles ready. But before you get too drunk on that hallowed day, I suggest you go to the ARC Pavilion to see the Doxie Derby. The Doxie Derby is pretty much the greatest sporting event of the entire year (even better than the Super Bowl or whatever the final game for basketball is called, I really don’t know). The Doxie Derby pits dachshunds against each other in an all-out, free-for-all race. Hundreds of humans cheer in the stands. The event features big screen instant replays and commemorative t-shirts. I’m pretty sure the Doxie Derby is one of the few sporting events in the world that offers dachshunds the chance to achieve TOTAL DOMINATION (ation-ation-ation).

After seeing a poodle-golden-wiener-dog in the park, I got this great idea: Let’s domesticate penguins and hippopotamuses. It’ll be fun. You can keep them in your backyard (which, I’m sure, is close enough to their natural habitat that they won’t even notice) and leave out a bowl of the same kibble year after year while you’re at work or at school. They’ll be jumping at the door by the time you get home, and of course, what else could that mean but, “I love you?” It couldn’t mean anything else – not, “thank goodness, I’m going to get my one walk of the day.” Or, “thank goodness, finally some stimulation. I have no friends or family.” Or, “please, please, kill me.” I think it’s safe to assume they love you wholeheartedly.

UC Davis and Loyola Marymount are used to sharing pool time – they have competed against each other on 11 different occasions over the past four years. On Saturday at noon, the two women’s water polo rivals were again in the water at the same time – only this time they were 400 miles apart. At the Schaal Aquatics Center in Davis, the No. 10 Aggies faced No. 19 Santa Clara. Meanwhile, at the Burns Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, the No. 11 Lions hosted No. 17 UC San Diego. Two rivals in two different places at one time, and what happened next changed the look of the upcoming Women’s Water Polo Association Championships.

California became the first state to ban helium-filled metallic balloons under a bill unanimously approved by a California state senate committee Tuesday. The bill’s sponsor, state senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena) implemented this bill to prevent further power outages caused by metallic balloons tangled in power lines. Lorinda Ferrell, a partner at Continental Sales, a professional wholesale balloon distributor, said she is against the bill and believes it won’t solve the problem. “All that Senator Jack Scott is trying to do is prevent power outages,” she said. “It’s something we would like to do, but outlawing sales on helium-filled metallic balloons won’t accomplish that.”

During a weeklong celebration of Native American culture, UC Davis’ Native American Culture Days group offered several educational and entertaining opportunities for students to learn about the traditions of indigenous peoples inter-continentally. Easily the tastiest of these tutorials was the Native Foods Demonstration and Tasting at the Silo Union on Apr. 9. Chef Robert Faris of the Blackfeet Tribe from Redding, Mont. taught students and Davis residents alike how to make three different dishes that utilize Native American recipes. Attendees of the Native American cooking class were served American Indian tacos, buffalo stew, blackberry cobbler and a generous helping of breathtaking music.