Box Score Honolulu, HI—The UC Riverside Softball Team extended its winning-streak to six Friday night, snapping a 13-game losing streak to the Rainbow Wahine with a 2-1 victory in game one of their three-game weekend series. UC Riverside improves to 29-7 on the year, the best start in the program's Division I history, while winning its conference opener for the first time since the 2010 campaign.

Taking the circle for the Highlanders was the nation's leader in wins, Chelsea Ponce. She threw all seven innings for the blue and gold, striking out four, and allowing five hits over 32 batters faced. The redshirt junior now boasts a 21-3 record.

The Rainbow Wahine struck first, pushing across their lone run in the third inning aided by two Highlander's miscues. Hawai'i (19-15) had an opportunity in the fourth to add to their lead. With Kristina Akiona on second, Rachel Lack laced a single to center. Akiona rounded third and raced for home, but Jenna Curtan gunned her down with a perfect throw from center to keep it a one-run game.

UC Riverside tied the score in the fifth inning without the benefit of a base hit as Taylor Wright drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a passed ball, and scored on a Natalie Sanchez single to right center.

The game was still tied at one heading into the top of the seventh, but Rebecca Faulkner singled up the middle to open the frame for just the third UC Riverside hit of the evening. Kris DeAnda laid a sacrifice bunt down the third baseline, but Lack's throw to first was off the mark allowing Faulkner to advance to third.

With the winning run just 90 feet away, Chelsey Holley popped up to first for the first out of the inning. That brought one of the Highlanders hottest hitters to the plate in the form of Wright. Over the past 16 games, the senior from Clovis, California was hitting a cool .421 (16-38). Wright walked in her two previous plate appearances on the night, but in her third at bat, she lifted a fly ball to left field that was deep enough to score pinch runner Samantha Hernandez from third for what would prove to be the game-winning run.

Hawai'i's Kanari Aina Cabrales (9-10) was saddled with the loss despite giving up just three hits, and not allowing an earned run.

The Highlanders are back in action for games two and three of the series against Hawai'i Saturday, March 28 at 7 pm PT.