Stone’s home run not enough for UCD in finale

Enterprise staff

LONG BEACH — The UC Davis baseball team wrapped up its 2023 season on Saturday.

The Aggies closed out against Long Beach State, which posted a 7-1 win.

UCD ended the season on an 11-game losing skid.

Saving his best for last, Damian Stone had four hits, and accounted for nine hits in the game.

Stone was responsible for the lone run, and RBI of the ball game when he launched his fifth homer of the season in the fifth inning. Long Beach State led 3-0 before Stone launched his dinger.

Making an immediate impact in his debut season with UCD, Stone finished the 2023 with the highest on-basepercentage and OPS among teammates.

He was also being one of two Aggies to hit above .300, with second baseman Alex Gouveia being the other.

In addition to his Stone’s four hits, the Aggies saw contributions from sophomore Riley Acosta went 2-for-3 with a double. Acosta recorded his second career multi-hit game. season.

The Aggies stranded 11 runners on the bases in the loss.

Aggie pitcher Nate Freeman, a senior, took the mound for the final time this season. The Benicia product appear in 57 games during his time at UCD, with 123 strikeouts.

Nathan Peng, a senior from Saratoga, also threw in Saturday’s finale. In his career, Peng recorded 68 strikeouts over 77.0 innings pitched.

He also collected 17 hits over his five years in the program with three doubles and one home run.

The Aggies will also miss James Williams III, another senior. Registering almost 300 at bats, Williams III marched his way to 77 career hits, 29 of them going for extra-bases.

UC Davis finished with a 7-23 record in the Big West Conference and 17-37 overall.

One of the highlights for the Aggies and head coach Tommy Nicholson this season were this season was beating No. 19 UCLA 6-3 in Los Angeles on April 16.