Saint Mary’s Gaels (15-13) at UC Davis Aggies (11-17)

Preview

DAVIS, Calif. (Interstat) — The Saint Mary’s Gaels, riding momentum from a series win, visit the UC Davis Aggies on Monday at Dobbins Baseball Complex in a nonconference midweek clash.

Saint Mary’s (15-13) enters having taken two of three from Pacific, capped by a 2-1 victory Saturday. The Gaels’ pitching was dominant in the finale, with starter Jake Hilton leading the way by allowing just one hit over five scoreless innings.

Hilton, a key player to watch, will look to build on that sharp outing after a recent up-and-down stretch. His performance could be pivotal for a Gaels squad that has shown offensive bursts, including an 11-run game against Rice last month, but has also been held to one run three times in recent weeks.

UC Davis (11-17) seeks to halt a five-game skid after being swept at UC Irvine over the weekend. The Aggies’ offense has struggled for consistency during the losing streak, scoring three runs or less in four of those games.

Second baseman Joey Wright is a bright spot for UC Davis. He homered and drove in two runs in Saturday’s 8-4 loss to the Anteaters, providing a potential spark for the Aggies’ lineup. Wright has hits in five of his last eight games.

The teams last met on March 3 in Moraga, with Saint Mary’s claiming a 7-2 victory.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Saint Mary’s is projected to win 6-2.

Following Monday’s game, Saint Mary’s hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday before a West Coast Conference series at Santa Clara. UC Davis travels to face Nevada on Tuesday before opening a home series against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday.