Milka Soko
7
Portland POR 4-0
9
Winner UC Riverside UCR 0-4
Portland POR
4-0
7
Final
9
UC Riverside UCR
0-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Portland POR 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 7 15 2
UC Riverside UCR 0 1 2 0 0 4 0 2 X 9 12 0

W: Gonzalez, Jesus (1-0) L: TOMINAGA, Davis (0-1) S: Lillie, Ryan (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Improves To 4-0 With 9-7 Win Over Portland

Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team improved to 4-0 on the season for the first time since the 2010 campaign thanks to a 9-7, come-from-behind victory over visiting Portland Sunday afternoon.

The Highlanders used seven pitchers on the day, with the most effective appearance coming from freshman reliever Peter Beattie. UCR starter Antonio Gonzales struggled in his 1.1 innings of work giving up five hits and three Portland runs. Beattie came on for his first appearance as a collegian with one out in the top of the second, and the Highlanders trailing, 3-0. He appeared to have some jitters early, throwing a wild pitch and walking two batters, before getting Kevin Wade to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Over his next 2.1 innings of work, Beattie kept the Pilots in check, allowing just two baserunners. By the time he handed the ball to Angelo Lingos in the top of the fifth, the Highlanders had battled back to tie the score.

Matthew Ellis led off the bottom of the sixth with the score still tied at three, and he quickly gave the Highlanders the lead by sending an 0-1 offering over the left field wall off of Pilots starter Davis Tominaga (0-1). UC Riverside scored three more runs in the inning thanks to an RBI double by Joe Chavez and a two-RBI single from Robby Witt.

Portland scored three runs in the top of the eighth to close to within one, but Vince Fernandez drove in a run in the Highlanders half of the inning, and another UCR run came home thanks to a throwing error by catcher Brady Kerr.

That gave the Highlanders enough breathing room to withstand one final Pilots flurry in the top of the ninth, but Ryan Lillie worked out of a jam allowing just one run while earning his first collegiate save.

Jesus Gonzalez (1-0) was credited with the win for UC Riverside.

The Highlanders are off until Thursday when they will begin a four-game road-home series against San Diego State. Thursday and Friday's games against the Aztecs are at 6 pm PT. The teams head back to The Plex for games on Saturday at 3 pm, and Sunday at 1 pm.