STOCKTON, Calif. (Interstat) — In a wild midweek nonconference affair that defied pregame projections, the UC Davis Aggies outlasted the Pacific Tigers 10-8 on Tuesday night at Klein Family Field, surviving a furious comeback attempt by the home team.

The game, which featured 23 combined hits and five lead changes, was a stark contrast to the Interstat game simulator’s projection of a low-scoring 4-3 UC Davis victory. The Aggies, who evened their season record at 11-11, relied on a potent early offensive burst and a parade of six relievers to secure the win after their starter exited in the third inning. Pacific fell to 9-15 with the loss.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the seventh inning. Holding a precarious 10-8 lead that had been 10-4 just an inning prior, the Aggies faced a bases-loaded, one-out situation against new Pacific pitcher Ethan Shaver. First baseman Everet Johnson, who had earlier launched a two-run homer, struck out swinging. But designated hitter Nick Wright delivered a crucial sacrifice fly to score Liam. Then, with two outs, pinch-hitter Murphy was hit by a pitch to reload the bases for leadoff hitter Mault.

Mault, facing a full-count pressure situation, came through with the game’s biggest hit, a two-run single up the middle that scored Hirschkorn and Burnham. Those two insurance runs proved vital, extending the lead back to four runs and ultimately providing the final margin of victory. The hit capped a three-run Aggie rally that answered Pacific’s four-run bottom of the sixth, effectively halting the Tigers’ momentum.

Pacific’s fightback in that sixth inning was formidable. Trailing 10-4, they sent nine men to the plate. Braeden Schnabel, who finished a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs, started the rally with a single. Robert Orr doubled him to third, and Andrew Sloan brought Schnabel home with a sacrifice fly. After an RBI single from Rylan Evans, Brendan O’Sullivan drove in another run with a single. Following a pitching change that brought in Jack Meek for UC Davis, the Tigers executed a complex fielder’s choice that allowed O’Sullivan to score, pulling them within two runs before Meek recorded a key strikeout to end the threat.

The game began with offensive fireworks. After being held scoreless in the first, UC Davis struck in the second when Everet Johnson connected for a two-run home run to center field off Pacific starter Liam Smith, giving the Aggies an early lead. Pacific responded immediately in their half of the first, scoring two runs on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Schnabel, and chipped away with single runs in the third and sixth innings before their big four-run outburst.

UC Davis’s bullpen committee was the unsung hero. After starter Solem gave way to Hippensteel in the third, five subsequent relievers — Grayson Bonanno, Carter Speights, Jack Meek, Mason Lerma and Rowen Barnes — combined for 6 1/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit baseball. They stranded multiple Tigers runners, induced two inning-ending double plays, and struck out four. Meek earned the win for recording the final out of the sixth inning. For Pacific, relievers Connor Raridan and Matt Ludeman provided stability, with Ludeman tossing 1 1/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts to finish the game, but the damage had already been done.

Defensive miscues played a significant role, as the teams combined for five errors leading to four unearned runs. Pacific’s third baseman committed two costly errors, one of which contributed to UC Davis’s three-run eighth inning that provided the final runs.

UC Davis next hosts UC San Diego for a three-game series starting Friday. Pacific opens a three-game home series against Gonzaga on Friday.