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Davis, California

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Aggies swept by 49ers in last home series of the weekend

DANIEL TAK / AGGIE
DANIEL TAK / AGGIE

UC Davis baseball team had some tough losses, but honored their graduating seniors well

In their final three home games of the season from May 20 to 22, the Aggies faced off against the Long Beach State 49ers.

Coming into the weekend, the Aggies had dropped four straight games, while the 49ers were number two in the Big West Conference standings. This weekend, Long Beach proved why they are just below Cal State Fullerton in the standings.

In Friday’s contest, redshirt freshman Robert Garcia got the start and threw six solid innings. Garcia only allowed two earned runs on five hits in his outing, but unfortunately errors cost Garcia big time as he gave up five runs in total.  

After Garcia came out of the game, UC Davis was able to get a run on the board in the sixth inning as senior designated hitter Cameron Olson hit a homerun to right field. The Ags added two more in the seventh, but it would not be enough. Long Beach State pushed another run across the plate in the top of the ninth to defeat UC Davis, 6-3 in the series opener.

Garcia fell to 3-4 on the season and although the Aggies were able to out hit their opponents, eight hits to seven, they still came up short.

Olson finished the game with two hits, while senior outfielder Tanner Bily extended his hitting streak to seven games.

In Saturday’s game, the 49ers’ offense struck quickly. The visiting team scored a run in the first inning and then scored five more in the top of the second with senior Spencer Henderson on the mound.

Henderson was pulled before he could even finish the second inning, giving up six runs on four hits along with five costly walks. Down 6-0 very early in the game, the Ags hoped to try to get some momentum. The team could not get much going as they only scored one run in the game.

The run came in the fourth inning as redshirt sophomore right fielder Ryan Hooper hit a double to score freshman catcher Logan Denholm.

After the home team scored their lone run in the fourth, Long Beach scored two runs in four consecutive innings. When it was all said and done, the 49ers finished with 19 hits to defeat the Aggies yet again, 14-1. Henderson took the loss for a record of 1-5 on the year.

DANIEL TAK / AGGIE
DANIEL TAK / AGGIE

Bily went two-for-four in the game to push his hitting streak to eight games.

Although the Aggies had lost the series, Sunday was a day of celebration. Three seniors, Nat Hamby, Henderson and Bily had their numbers spray painted behind home plate to honor their final home game.

“This group means everything to us,” said head coach Matt Vaughn. “They’ve put in their time here over four years and every one of them has shown up every day ready to play.”

Hamby got the start in his final home game and he pitched well, although a few errors cost the home team. Hamby allowed just three earned runs in five and two thirds innings but gave up seven runs in total. Long Beach’s offense was once again incredible as they were able to score 10 runs through just six innings.

UC Davis was able to score a run in the bottom of the sixth off a Henderson double. While the team tried to show some offensive life, the 49ers were too much for the Ags.

The seniors were all taken out before the end of the game and each of them earned a well deserved round of applause from the crowd.

“This program has meant a lot to me,” Bily said. “These last four years have been some of the best of my life. I thank my coaches and all my teammates for making it such a great experience.”

The final score of the game was 11-1 and Hamby took the loss for a record of 3-6 on the year.

Bily did get a hit in the game to extend his hitting streak to nine games with a single up the middle in the bottom of the third. Bily had a solid weekend in his final three games at Dobbins Stadium.

“I’ve been sticking with the same thing all year, just try to hit the ball hard up the middle,” Bily said. “Recently, it’s just been dropping, that’s how baseball is.”

The Aggies will head to Cal Poly where they will take on the Mustangs in a three game series starting on Thursday for the final games of the regular season.

“I just want to see us compete for three games and finish the season strong,” Vaughn said. “And for the young guys to just keep their heads up going into the future.”

 

Written by: Michael Martinez — sports@theaggie.org

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