Teams: UC Davis vs. San Jose State
Records: Aggies, 3-1; Spartans, 2-3
Where: La Rue Field
When: Today at 2 p.m.
Who to watch: With the help of sophomore hurler Alex Holmes, the Aggies were able to take three of four games at the Cathedral City Kickoff this past weekend.
A San Juan Capistrano, Calif. native, Holmes tossed 13 shutout innings in two games while striking out 22. The Aggies won both games in which she pitched by a 5-0 score.
Her accomplishments didn’t go unrecognized, as she was named Big West Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week for the second time in her young career.
Did you know? The UC Davis pitching staff wasted little time in getting off to a good start.
In their four games, Aggies pitchers have registered two shutouts while posting a 0.78 ERA. Senior Jessica Hancock has also starred for the Aggies, throwing two complete games while striking out 15 batters in 13 innings.
Preview: Holmes took the ball to begin UC Davis’ season on Saturday against Liberty, tossing six shutout innings, striking out 11 batters and only surrendering two hits as the Aggies took care of the Flames, 5-0.
The UC Davis offense showed up early, scoring in each of the game’s first three innings. Holmes helped out her own cause by going 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run.
UC Davis then matched up with Fordham in the afternoon game, where they squeaked out a one-run victory, 2-1. Hancock picked up the win.
On Sunday, UC Davis threw Holmes in the circle again, this time against James Madison, only to see her have a near repeat performance of her first game.
Holmes pitched a complete game shutout and struck out 11 while only giving up two hits in the UC Davis win.
The Aggies’ last game of the tournament was against Illinois. The Illini pulled out the 2-1 victory over UC Davis. The Aggies finished the tournament with an impressive 3-1 showing, and now turn their attention to today’s home opener against San Jose State.
A good-hitting team, the Spartans are led by senior catcher Brittany McConnell, who boasts a .364/.500/.727 vital line through five games this season. She also has a homerun and five RBI.
–Max Rosenblum
