Riverside–Sarah Parten had four RBIs to fuel the UC Riverside Softball Team's 7-1 win in game one of the set against Detroit Mercy, and junior transfer Jenae Lockwood delivered the game-winning 2-run single in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 victory over the Titans in game two of the day.
In the first game of the day, the Highlanders got a masterful pitching performance from Aneesa Cepeda which allowed the UCR bats to takeover. Stephanie Tickemyer got the scoring started with a two-run single up the middle in the second.
With one out in the third and Haley Harris standing on first, Parten then connected on the second pitch of the at-bat for a double to right center, which scored Harris ,and gave the home side a 3-0 lead.
In the fifth with two aboard, Parten hit a no-doubter over the fence in right center. The three-run shot was the first homerun as a Highlander for the freshman from Bellflower, CA. The Titans would get one across in the sixth, but Cepeda remained in control en route to securing the 7-1 win, her third on the year.
Parten came into the game with just one RBI in 2017.
The second game of the day was dazzling pitchers duel that pitted Tayler Misfeldt against Detroit Mercy's Liz Murphy. Both dominated the lineups keeping a clean sheet through eight innings, and striking out eight batters apiece heading into the ninth.
Misfeldt, who had allowed just two hits entering the top of the ninth, gave up a one out triple that scored the Titan placed on second via the international tie-break rule. She retired the next hitter,, before allowing another triple that plated another for the visitors. Haley Marschall would come on in relief and give up an RBI single before get out of the inning trailing 3-0.
UCR got on the board when leadoff hitter Jenna Curtan reached on an error that allowed Brittney Garcia, who was placed on second to start the inning, to score the Highlander first run. Tickemyer then reached on a fielder's choice, and with two outs, Harris singled in Curtan and advance to second on throw to the plate, as did Tickemyer to third.
Lockwood, a Riverside native, stepped to the dish fought off a 1-1 offering into right field over the head of the second baseman scoring Tickemyer and Harris for the 4-3 victory just ahead of the sunset.
Murphy was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs, 0 earned. Marschall got the win on the back of Misfeldt's nine strikeout three-hit performance.
The UC Riverside Softball Team returns to the Amy S. Harrison Field Thursday for a double-header against Tennessee Martin with first pitch scheduled for 12 noon.
