Matadors Fall Late to UC Davis 5-3

Friday, May 8

Davis, Calif.

2:30 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

27-21, 6-13

UC Davis

27-20-1, 6-10

CSUN

UC Davis

Matadors Fall Late to UC Davis 5-3

5/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif.-

CSUN Baseball (27-21, 6-13 Big West) dropped a seesaw contest in the opener of its three-game series to UC Davis (27-20-1, 6-10 Big West) 5-3 at Dobbins Stadium on Friday afternoon. The Matadors took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but a three-run Aggies eighth turn the tide of the contest.

Calvin Copping took the mound against UC Davis on Friday and kept the Matadors in the game throughout his seven-plus innings of work. The junior also held the Aggies scoreless after four frames.

On the flip side, CSUN was shutout through four innings as well thanks to strong pitching by Aggies starter Spencer Koopmans. The Matadors could not cash in on opportunities in the first and fourth innings, stranding two runners in each frame.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff triple by Evan Heptig off Copping and a Brad Pluschkell RBI goundout gave UC Davis the 1-0 lead. The advantage would be short-lived however, as CSUN responded swiftly in the sixth.

With runners on first and second base with one out, Justin Toerner hit a grounder to second in what appeared to be an inning-ending double play ball. An out would be recorded at second base but Heptig's relay to first was wild, which allowed Yusuke Akitoshi to hustle home with the tying run.

The tables would turn in the home half of the seventh, as UC Davis capitalized on a Matador miscue to reclaim the lead. With runners on first and second base, Tanner Bily reached on a single to Akitoshi. On the play, Akitoshi committed a throwing error, giving Izaak Silva an opportunity to scoot home from second base.

Undeterred, the Matadors staged a rally in the eighth to take their first lead of the contest. Chester Pak hit a one-out double to left field and later advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Toerner drove in Pak with an RBI single to square the game at 2-2.

Later in the eighth, the Matadors loaded the bases with Nick Blaser at the plate and two outs. The senior smacked a clutch single to right field to break the tie.

In the bottom of the frame, Copping began the inning with a strikeout of Nick Lynch, but the third strike got past Dylan Alexander's glove, allowing Lynch to reach first base safely. The Aggies took advantage of the extra out, as three straight hits including a two-run single by Silva gave UC Davis the lead again at 5-3.

With UC Davis ahead by two in the ninth, Zach Stone retired CSUN in order to earn his 11^th save of the season.

Pak's 4-for-4 performance on Friday is his third four-hit game of his career and the second by a Matador this season. Toerner had a 4-for-5 day at the plate in a 10-7 loss to CSU Bakersfield on March 24.

The Matadors resume their three-game set at UC Davis on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of BHEPhotos