Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team got two home runs from Connor Cannon Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't enough as Hawai'i broke a 4-4 tie with three runs in the seventh, en route to a 6-4 victory.
The Highlanders (13-18, 2-7) found themselves playing from behind after the first inning for the ninth time in the last 10 games. The lone exception was Friday's 9-2 victory over the Rainbow Warriors, which saw UC Riverside score twice in the bottom of the third en route to the wire-to-wire win.
With one out in the top of the first, and a runner on first, Josh Rojas ripped a double down the right field line, scoring Dustin Demeter. After a six-pitch walk to Adam Fogel, Eric Ramirez turned on an Alex Fagalde (5-2) pitch, sending it down the right field line. Cade Peters appeared to have a bead on the ball, but the wind, which was blowing out to right, carried the ball over the Sterling Highlander sign, putting the Rainbow Warriors on top, 4-0.
UC Riverside put itself in position to slice into the Hawai'i (21-12, 3-3) lead in the bottom of the first, putting runners on first and third with no outs. Colby Schultz was thrown out trying to steal second, however, and Rainbow Warriors' starter Neil Uskali retired Casey Worden and Peters to work out of the jam.
It remained a 4-0 game until the bottom of the fourth, when the Highlanders again had runners at the corners, this tim with nobody out.
Cody Sporrer grounded into a double play to give UC Riverside its first run of the game, and Connor Cannon followed with a prodigious solo shot over the left center field wall for his sixth homer of the season.
Two innings later, Cannon launched another dinger, this one over the adidas sign in left, which plated Peters, and tied the score at four.
Hawai'i jumped back on top in the seventh, though, as Fitchett made Fagalde pay for a lead off walk by hitting a two-run homer to left.
Fagalde's night ended one batter later, as Johnny Weeks doubled to left center. That brought Nick Shur out of the bullpen, and one batter later, Dylan Vchulek singled through the right side to make it 7-4 Rainbow Warriors.
That's where the score ended, as Matt Richardson and Dylan Thomas combined to toss three shutout innings for Hawai'i. Neil Uskali (5-2) was credited with the win, and Thomas picked up his fourth save of the season.
The Highlanders host San Diego State on Tuesday, April 18 at 6 pm PT before traveling to CSUN over the weekend, for a three-game Big West Conference series.
