Aggies sports action from May 11 to 17
Baseball (28-25-1):
UC Davis @ Saint Mary’s (L, 7-3)
UC Davis @ Long Beach State (L, L, L)
Down one heading into the eighth inning against Saint Mary’s, the Aggies defense faltered and allowed three runs, securing a defeat. UC Davis managed just five hits for the day, including a home run by senior Austin March, and was unable to capitalize on runners in scoring positions in the seventh and eighth innings.
After the quick trip to Saint Mary’s, the Aggies headed to Long Beach to face off against the 49ers for three straight. UC Davis led for much of the first game before allowing two runs in the final inning to lose 4-3. Sophomore pitcher Zach Stone was credited with the loss.
A lack of offense was once again the name of the game on the second day, as UC Davis could muster only two runs on six hits. Five of the six total runs scored in the 4-2 loss came in the first two innings. On the final day, the Aggies fought furiously after allowing seven runs in the first inning, but were unable to complete the comeback. UC Davis lost 9-8 despite scoring four in the final inning. The Aggies have now lost nine of their last 11 games heading into the final series of the regular season.
Men’s Golf:
NCAA Regionals (Ninth place finish)
The Aggies headed to Bremerton, Wash. to take part in the NCAA Regionals after receiving an at-large bid to the action. To advance to the NCAA Finals, the team had to finish the tournament in the top five. The first day was a step towards that goal, with the Aggies finishing just two strokes out of fourth place. Junior Luke Vivolo tied for eighth place with a 2-under 70, while sophomore Patrick Soli reached No. 14 individually.
On the second day, Vivolo and Soli each fell after carding a 2-over 74 and 3-over 75, respectively. Freshman Ryan Han, on the other hand, recorded a spectacular 2-under 70 to become the highest placed Aggie at No. 17. The team dropped two spots to No. 9, widening the gap between them and the No. 5 to 11 strokes.
UC Davis was unable to make up any of that margin in the final day of play, remaining in ninth place. Vivolo regained his form with a 3-under 69, leaving him tied for No. 15 individually with Han, who carded another 2-under 70. Soli fell to No. 39, with no other Aggie finished within the top 50. The team finished 16 strokes away from advancing to the NCAA Finals.
Men’s Track and Field:
Big West Championships (Fifth place finish)
With the regular season behind them, the UC Davis men’s track and field team headed to Riverside to compete in the Big West Championships. They were unable to win any events throughout the two days, but had several strong finishes on their way to fifth place overall.
Senior Marcus Johnson was phenomenal, finishing in third in the 100 meter while anchoring the second place 4×100 meter relay team. Sophomore Matt Moreno added a sixth place finish in the 200 meter and senior Nathan Strum grabbed No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the 800 and 1500 meter respectively. Finally, junior Jason Chandler finished in third in the 400 meter hurdles and four Aggies grabbed top 30 spots in the 5000 meter.
Junior Matt Bender was the top field finisher for the Aggies, throwing fourth best in the discus toss. Sophomore Marc Toney finished in fifth in the pole vault. The Aggies finished the Big West Championships just three points behind No. 3 Cal Poly, but 93 points behind leader Long Beach State.
Women’s Track and Field:
Big West Championships (Second place finish)
Another Big West Championships, another weekend of domination for senior sprinter Ashley Marshall. For the third straight year, Marshall won the 100 and 200 meter races while also contributing to second and fourth place finishes in the 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays. Senior Cekarri Nixon also came to play, finishing in second in both the 200 and 400 meter while contributing in the two relays as well. Another senior, Raquel Lambdin, grabbed first in both the 800 and 1500 meter.
The Aggies were less dominant on the field, although several athletes finished within the top 10 of their respective events. Senior Katie Barber tied for fourth in the high jump while senior Veronica Smart added a No. 3 spot in the shot put and No. 7 in the high hammer throw. UC Davis finished in second place, 44 points behind winner CSU Northridge and 66 points ahead of the third place finisher.
Graphic by Andrew Li.
