After winning one of three games against Utah last weekend, the Aggies traveled to Stillwater, Okla. over this weekend’s series and dropped its first two games. UC Davis now holds a record of 5-6, after starting the season 4-1.
UC Davis has yet to face a conference opponent and has gone up against strong competition from the Pac-12 and Big-12 Conferences. Going into the series, Oklahoma State sat second in its division with an impressive record of 7-1, behind Oklahoma. The Aggies came into the series 5-4.
Friday — UC Davis 2, Oklahoma State 4
This game was knotted up at two until the Cowboys scored a run in the seventh and another one in the eighth. Sophomore John Williams led the Aggies with two hits and two RBI.
Unlike the weather on the West Coast, the weather at first pitch was 38 degrees, giving Oklahoma State the true definition of home-field advantage.
Junior Harry Stanwyck started on the mound for the Aggies and pitched seven innings. He allowed four earned runs, six hits, walked four and struck out two. His record dropped to 1-1 on the season.
Stanwyck pitched well in his first four innings, but gave up two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Then, in the seventh, senior Victor Romero hit a homerun to lead off the frame.
The Cowboys added one more run in the eighth when senior Randy McCurry hit an RBI double off sophomore Craig Lanza.
The Aggies held the lead early when Williams singled in two runs in the fifth inning, but they were kept intact by the Oklahoma State pitching staff for the remainder of the game.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Cowboys loaded the bases on a triple and two walks. Then sophomore Gage Green singled to score their first two runs.
Junior Vince Wheeland finished the game for Oklahoma State by pitching the last three innings to pick up his second save of the season.
Senior Paul Politi went hitless for the day, which ended his 19-game hitting streak.
Saturday —UC Davis 4, Oklahoma State 10
The Aggie pitching staff struggled early in the game, giving up five runs in the first frame and three runs in the second. Sophomore Spencer Koopmans struggled against the high-powered Oklahoma State offense.
The win for the Cowboys marks their seventh straight victory and improvement to 8-1 overall. They continue their home dominance, winning all seven of their home games thus far.
UC Davis struck first when sophomore Tino Lipson led the game off with a single and later scored on a groundout. Politi led the Aggies with three hits, capped off by a three-run home run.
The Cowboys answered early, scoring five runs and accumulating five consecutive hits during the first frame. The scoring was highlighted by junior Tanner Krietemeier’s RBI double, sophomore Zach Fish’s two-RBI triple, and Romero’s two-run home run.
In the second inning, Krietemeier hit a two-run triple and was followed by an RBI single by Romero.
Koopmans pitched 1-2/3 innings, giving up eight runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Freshman Spencer Henderson came in to relieve Koopmans and pitched 4-1/3 innings, giving up two runs and scattering five hits. Freshman Zach Williams pitched a scoreless seventh and sophomore Cameron Law followed by pitching a perfect eighth.
Sophomore Jon Perrin started the game for the Cowboys and pitched three innings and gave up his only run in the first. Junior Phillip Wilson earned the win, bumping his record up to 1-1. He threw for three innings and allowed three hits, but did not give up any runs.
After a double and a hit by pitch in top of the ninth inning, Politi homered to right field for his second home run of the season, which leads the team. Politi went 3-4 from the plate.
The Aggies will have finished the series on Sunday and will travel back home for a game against Sacramento State and a weekend series against Cal State Bakersfield.
LUKE BAE can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
