Box Score Las Vegas, NV—UC Riverside senior Michael Farris blasted a pair of three-run home runs Tuesday evening, powering the UC Riverside Baseball Team past UNLV, 11-9.

They were the first home runs of the Garden Grove, California natives' career, and both dingers put the Highlanders on top—the last one for good.

After both teams put up goose eggs in the first, the Highlanders put their first two batters on in the second courtesy of back-to-back singles by Yeager Taylor and Cody Sporrer. After Casey Worden laid down a successful sacrifice bunt, Farris turned on the first pitch he saw and deposited it over the left field wall.

The Rebels nibbled away at UC Riverside's lead over the next four innings scoring single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth to go up 4-3.

The top of the sixth was a carbon copy of the second as Taylor and Sporrer reached on consecutive singles, and Worden once again moved them up 90 feet with a sac bunt. It took Farris three pitches to find one he liked this go-round, and he put UCR back on top with a shot over the center field wall.

The Highlanders weren't done, though, as Colby Schultz and Mark Contreras laced back-back-doubles into right and left field respectively, to make it 7-4 UC Riverside. After Connor Cannon drew a six-pitch walk, Cade Peters joined the homer parade with a three-run tater to right.

The game was far from over, though. UNLV's home park is one of the best hitters' yards in the nation, and the Rebels bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to close the deficit to four, 10-6.

Jared Morton tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to keep UNLV from creeping any closer, and Max Compton did likewise in the bottom of the ninth.

With two home runs in the bank, Farris had a chance to tie the program record of three home runs in a game when he led off th top of the ninth. The last member of the Highlanders to club three home runs was Justin Shults, who did it back on April 27, 2010 ... coincidentally also at UNLV.

Farris had to settle for a base on balls, and ultimately came around to score the team's final run of the game on a triple to right center by Contreras.

Compton started the ninth for the Highlanders, but after giving up a run, turned the ball over to closer Ryan Lillie with a runner on third and one out. Lillie walked the leadoff batter, Kyle Isbel, on four pitches, and Isbel moved up to second on Lillie's strikeout of Bryson Stott.

A wild pitch scored one run, and Payton Squier's single to left made ot a two-run game, 11-9. Nick Ames singled up the middle to put runners on the corners, but Ernie Delatrinidad flied out to center to end the game.

Morton was credited with the win for the Highlanders, while Tevita Gerber took the loss.

UC Riverside and UNLV finish their two-game midweek series on Wednesday with first pitch slated for 2:05 pm PT