Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team returns to the friendly confines of The Plex this week for three games with UC Irvine. Rather than a traditional Friday-Saturday-Sunday series, the teams are playing on Thursday (6 pm PT), Friday (6 pm) and Saturday (1 pm) in observance of Easter Sunday.
The Highlanders are looking to snap a six-game losing skid in which they have allowed 66 runs. Offensively, they have scored more than three runs in just two of those contests.
UC Riverside sends left-hander Kevin Sprague (2-3, 4.22) to the mound on Thursday to end the streak, followed by righty Keaton Leach (2-3, 3.61) on Friday, with Saturday's starter still to be determined.
Austin Colvin (.328/.381/.345) and Robby Witt (.322/.344/.414) are the Highlanders leading hitters heading into the weekend, as UCR unfortunately lost Drake Zarate (.326/.385/.358) to an injury just over a week ago. Vince Fernandez continues to be the team's leading power hitter with a .482 slugging percentage built on the strength of eight doubles, two triple and three home runs.
UC Irvine began the year with six straight losses, dropping three games at Fresno State and three at Cal. Since then, however, they are 15-4 and have won nine straight including a 13-4 victory over San Diego on Tuesday. The Anteaters swept Hawai'i last weekend and are tied with UC Davis atop the Big West Conference standings at 3-0.
As a team, Irvine is third in the league in batting average (.278) fourth in on base percentage (.365) and second in slugging (.395). They are led by Keston Hiura who boasts a slash line of .365/.432/.605 and has 13 extra base hits.
Defensively the Anteaters are allowing just over four runs per game. Their pitching staff has issued the second fewest walks in the Big West, but has also struck out the fewest batters among the nine conference teams.
The Highlanders will face lefty Elliot Surrey (3-2, 2.47) on Thursday night followed by right-hander Matt Esparza (5-1, 2.80) on Friday and left-hander Evan Manarino (2-0, 3.63) on Saturday.
UC Riverside is 23-41 all-time against UC Irvine (
view results), but the Highlanders have won four of the last six meetings between the clubs.
