Teams: UC Davis vs. Long Beach State
Records: Aggies, 3-2 (14-23); 49ers, 3-3 (19-18)
Where: La Rue Field
When: Saturday at noon, 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon
Who to watch: Junior Alex Holmes proved to be successful both in the circle and at the plate in game two of last year’s series against Long Beach State.
Holmes, native to San Juan Capistrano, Calif., threw eight scoreless innings on her way to the 1-0 victory – her third win of the 2009 campaign.
In the process, she struck out four while allowing just five hits while delivering a two-run double at the dish to win the game.
Did you know? After her collegiate career, coach Karen Yoder played two years in the Women’s Professional Fastpitch League as a member of the Georgia Pride and the Durham Dragons.
In fact, she was a teammate of Aggie All-American Trisha Reinhardt (Hayes), who graduated from UC Davis in 1997.
Preview: The Aggies enter week three of Big West Conference play in a tie for fourth in the league behind three teams that are tied for first.
In the spot below UC Davis sits Long Beach State who was knocked around by Cal State Northridge in the final game of last weekend’s conference series.
In that game, the 49ers gave up seven runs on seven hits in their 10-9 loss to the Matadors.
On the other hand, the Aggies will be coming off a 2-1 victory over the Tigers of Pacific.
Sarah Axelson was strong at the plate during Saturday’s doubleheader split as she hit a homerun in the first game and delivered an RBI-double in the second.
Axelson’s homer marked her third of the season – already just three behind her 2008 total. Additionally, she is three hits shy of beating her 2009 record of 30.
The two other senior veterans are also well on their way to breaking their own career records in hits per season as Marissa Araujo has posted 20 already this year, and Michelle Espiritu follows with 11. Araujo will need 13 to beat her 2009 mark, and Espiritu will need 24 hits to break the 35 she delivered in 2008.
In addition to the series against the 49ers, the Aggies will be hosting its annual StrikeOut Cancer event during Sunday’s game at noon.
The StrikeOut Cancer event is designed to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer. UC Davis has been taking part in the program for several years, and all proceeds will benefit the UC Davis Cancer Center.
– Grace Sprague
