Teams: UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara
Records: Aggies, 21-26 (5-10); Gauchos 23-22 (6-9)
Where: Campus Diamond – Santa Barbara, Calif.
When: Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon
Who to watch: In order to get things going this weekend against UCSB, UC Davis will need senior leadoff hitter Belinda Paine to set the tone.
The Lakewood, Calif. native is second on the team with a .302 batting average. She paces her team in hits (45) and stolen bases (10).
Did you know? The Gauchos know how to play small ball. UCSB ranks second in the Big West Conference in base knocks (346), second in stolen bases (47), first in sacrifice flies (10) and has only grounded into two double plays this season. The UC Davis pitching staff will have its hands full dealing with the Gaucho offense this weekend.
Preview: With five home losses last weekend, UC Davis is currently in the midst of a seven-game losing streak.
The Aggies fell twice to Oregon State last Thursday and then were swept in Big West action by first-place Cal Poly. UC Davis held a lead in four out of the five contests during the most recent stretch.
In the first game against the Beavers, the Aggies held a 4-3 advantage going into the top of the seventh but could not close the door, losing 5-4.
In the second game of the doubleheader, UC Davis took a 1-0 lead on a double by Holmes, but gave up runs to the Beavers in three different innings, falling 7-2.
The Aggies then welcomed the Mustangs into town. They did not return the favor. Cal Poly outscored UC Davis 14-4 to sweep the three-game set.
All could be forgotten depending on how UC Davis plays when it travels to face off against league foe UCSB, a team that posts a similar record to the Aggies in league play.
Senior Christine Ramos paces the Gauchos with a Big West leading .394 average and 63 hits.
– Max Rosenblum
