Irvine, CA—The UC Riverside Baseball Team was looking to start Big West Conference play with a 4-1 mark for the first time in its 15-year history Saturday afternoon, but UC Irvine scored two runs in the fourth to eke out a 2-1 victory.

The Highlanders (13-16, 3-2) took the early lead playing small ball as Mark Contreras led off the game with a bunt single, was sacrificed to second on an Adonis Morrison bunt, and scored on Vince Fernandez's single up the middle.

Coming into the game, UC Riverside was 6-3 when scoring first this season, but that was the only run the Highlanders offense would generate.

UC Irvine (17-10, 2-3) starter Cameron Bishop (5-1) only allowed two more hits over his 7.2 innings of work, while striking out eight and walking just one.

UCR starter Ricky Delgado (0-5) retired the side in order in the first, but struggled over his next few innings. In the second, the 'Eaters left two runners in scoring position, and in the third, they left two more runners on base.

Irvine finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth, stringing together three straight hits, the last of which was a Parker Coss RBI double down the left field line which scored Adam Alcantara. Alex Guenette followed with a sac fly to right which scored Grant Palmer, and put the Anteaters on top.

The Highlanders had scoring opportunities in the eighth and ninth, but just like UC Irvine in the early innings, UCR left a pair of runners stranded both times. Calvin Faucher pitched the final inning-and-a-third for the Anteaters to pick up his fourth save of the season.

Alex Fagalde tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief for UC Riverside.

The Highlanders and Anteaters conclude their three-game Big West Conference series on Sunday, April 10 beginning at 1 om PT.