Davis, Calif. – UC Davis scored five times in the first inning after CSU Bakersfield had scored three runs of its own, and never trailed again en route to a 7-4 victory in Friday afternoon's Big West Conference series opener at Swimley Field.
Roadrunner starter Benji Caggianelli lasted just 2.2 innings, suffering his second loss of the season and his second tough outing in as many turns. Caggianelli allowed six runs, five earned, on four hits, two walks and a hit batter.
UC Davis' bulk reliever Nate Freeman was excellent…
Bakersfield scored three times in the top of the first inning, before the offense sputtered for much of the game.
Jashia Morrissey led the way with a pair of triples in three at bats, to go with a walk, a run scored and three runs driven in.
James Bell had three hits out of the second spot in the order, including a first inning double.
The Roadrunners out hit the Aggies 10-7, but UC Davis walked four times and reached on three hit by pitches.
CSUB fell to 12-16 overall and 5-2 in Big West play, while UC Davis improved to 2-15 and 2-8.
HOW IT HAPPENED...
T1 | Bakersfield grabbed an early 3-0 lead on two hits, a walk, a hit batter and a balk in the top of the first. Jashia Morrissey struck for the big blow when he turned on a fastball and grounded a triple into the right-field corner to score two. Morrissey came across to score on a balk by UC Davis opener Daniel Carrion.
B1 | The Aggies answered immediately in the bottom of the inning. Centerfielder Mark Wolbert sprayed a two-run home run down the line in left to put his team on the board. UC Davis scored three more times on an error, an RBI single from Jake Brandel and a run-scoring fielder's choice by Raul Sandoval.
T3 | Morrissey tripled again in the third, scoring Andrew Allanson from first base and cutting the Davis lead to 5-4.
B3 | The Aggies answered again in the third when Jonah Henrickson singled and then scored on Nick Iverson's single to left.
B7 | Shortstop Nick Leehey doubled in Wolbert when he executed a perfect hit and run, driving a fastball into the right-field corner and scoring Wolbert all the way from first.
T8 | Bailey Seeger jumped on the first pitch he saw in an eighth-inning pinch hit appearance and singled off the glove of Aggie third baseman Kyler Arrenado to score Morrissey from third and make it 7-5 UCD.
NOTABLE...
• Jashia Morrissey became the first Roadrunner to triple twice in the same game since Jake Ortega did so on May 18, 2018, in a win over Chicago State. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI.
• James Bell was 3-for-4 with a double, matching a season-best and career high in hits.
• Jaykob Acosta worked the final 5.1 innings for Bakersfield, surrendering just one on three hits, while fanning a pair. He's allowed just two earned runs in 11.1 innings pitched over his last two outings.
ON DECK...
Bakersfield and UC Davis continue their three-game Big West Conference series on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Left-hander Kellen O'Connor will take the ball for CSUB, while righty Nolan Meredith will pitch for the Aggies. The two teams will conclude the series on Sunday, in a game also set for 1:00 p.m.
