RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Interstat) — Noel Valdez delivered a dominant starting performance and the UC Davis bullpen slammed the door over the final three innings as the Aggies opened a Big West Conference series with a 4-2 victory over UC Riverside on Friday evening at Riverside Sports Complex.

Valdez, the Aggies’ top star, earned the win with six strong innings, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out five. The right-hander navigated traffic effectively for most of the afternoon before a pivotal swing in the sixth. He improved to 2-0 on the season, building on a quality start against Nevada the previous week.

The Aggies (6-7, 1-0 Big West) built their lead with single runs in the second and third innings before a two-run third provided the eventual winning margin. In the second, Zach Story scored on an Elijah McNeal fielder’s choice. The third inning proved decisive, as UC Davis capitalized on a combination of timely hitting and Highlander miscues.

Ty Howard led off the third with a single and scored on Braydon Wooldridge’s RBI double down the right-field line. After a pitching change brought in Halen Jaden Guerrero for UC Riverside, Wooldridge advanced to third on a balk and scored on a wild pitch. Evan Gentil followed with a double and later scored on Ryan Lee’s two-out RBI single to center, staking the Aggies to a 4-0 lead.

The most important part of the game came in the bottom of the sixth, as UC Riverside (3-11, 0-1) mounted its only serious threat against Valdez. After two quick outs, Jaxon Byrd singled to left, bringing third baseman Lucas Bonham to the plate. Bonham, who finished 3 for 4, connected on a two-run homer down the left-field line, cutting the deficit in half and injecting life into the Highlanders. Ty Gordon followed with a double, putting the tying run at the plate, but Valdez escaped further damage by getting David Gibbs to pop out to center.

From there, the Aggies’ relief corps was flawless. Mason Lerma took over in the seventh and retired all six batters he faced, striking out two. Closer Rowen Barnes worked a perfect ninth, striking out one, to secure the save and seal the victory.

Despite out-hitting UC Davis 9-8, the Highlanders stranded seven baserunners and could not solve the Aggies’ pitching after the sixth-inning homer. UC Riverside used seven pitchers in the game, with Guerrero absorbing the loss after allowing one run on three hits over three innings of middle relief.

The result aligned closely with pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 4-3 UC Davis win and whose ELO system gave the Aggies a 68.1% probability of victory.

The two teams continue the three-game conference series Saturday and Sunday at Riverside Sports Complex.