BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS GAME ONE
Score: UC Davis 5, Long Beach State
Winning Pitcher: Ashley Sawai (13-4)
Losing Pitcher: Isabella Alonso (12-7)
Location: Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Family Field)
Records: UC Davis 29-23, Long Beach State 29-22
The short story: UC Davis softball got production from both the circle and at the plate to help power itself to a game one victory over Long Beach State to open up the Big West Championships in the first game the Aggies have ever played at the conference championships.
LEADING OFF
Caroline Grimes started, giving the Aggies a strong 5.1 innings, striking out seven and only giving up one walk along the way
While Ashley Sawai finished off the game, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to collect the win and cap off a solid day from the Aggie aces
The top half of the Aggie lineup was a force, with batters one-through-three going 6-for-11 with two runs and two RBIs between Gia Felice, Sydney Polli and Claire Shelton all giving the Aggies two hits each
Keira Brady and Felice showed off the power, with Brady hitting a double and Felice adding a triple
HOW IT HAPPENED
Long Beach State opened the scoring the first, when an RBI single made it 1-0 early, but Grimes would lock in and not allow another run until the fourth
In the third, the Aggies chopped away at and passed the Beach with three runs scored when Polli smashed a single up the middle and Reeves put the ball in play resulting in an error that scored two Aggies making it 3-1
In the fourth and sixth frames, Long Beach State chipped away at and eventually tied the Aggies at 3-3 after an RBI double in the sixth
But in the bottom half of the sixth, the Aggies opened things up when Brady smashed a double to right center that brought home Marley Panziera
Brady’s double was followed up by Felice who hit a triple to left center that brought home the next Aggie run making it 5-3 and giving Sawai the room she needed to navigate the seventh inning
In that final frame, Sawai sat The Beach batters down in order, and after a weak ground out to first ended the game, the Aggies celebrated with a huge hug and cheer in the circle as they punched their ticket to the next day and a matchup with the hosting top seeded Cal State Fullerton Titans.
ON TO THE NEXT DAY: UC Davis now heads to the second day and will face No. 1 seeded Cal State Fullerton, tomorrow May 7 at 1 p.m. for a chance to keep moving ahead in the winner’s bracket. If the Aggies win they advance to Friday and will face the winner of the Hawai’i vs. UC Santa Barbara/UC San Diego game, a loss means UC Davis will play in its first elimination game that night (May 7) at 7 p.m. where they would face the loser between UC Santa Barbara/UC San Diego and Hawai’i.
BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS: Fans can now buy tickets for the Big West Championships, which get started on May 6 and are hosted by Cal State Fullerton. Tickets can be bought by heading here.
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: UC Davis, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States in agriculture and forestry as well as No. 1 in veterinary medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.
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