Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team battled back from a late, three-run deficit Sunday afternoon to tie the score, but UC Santa Barbara plated a single run in the top of the ninth to escape with a 6-5 victory.

After scoring a run in the seventh, and two in the eighth, to turn a 5-2 deficit into a five-all tie, the Highlanders handed the ball over to relief pitcher Jared Morton (1-2) in the ninth.

Tommy Jew greeted UCR's sixth pitcher of the day with a triple to left center, and eventually came home on a sacrifice fly by Kenny Corey with what would prove to be the winning run.

AJ Sawyer led off the bottom of the ninth for the Highlanders, and he sent a 1-2 pitch screaming into right center field. However Jew, the Gauchos' center fielder, made a diving catch to record the first out of the inning. UCSB reliever Shea Barry struck out Contreras for out number two, and Michael Farris grounded out to short to end the game.

UC Riverside (16-23, 4-11) entered the afternoon with its sights set on a sweep of the Gauchos, as well as a season-high, four-game winning streak.

Matt Hardy got the start, and the offense gave him a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, thanks to a couple of long balls, as Connor Cannon sent the first pitch he saw sailing over the left center field wall, and Cody Sporrer hit one down the right field line.

Hardy put up goose eggs in the first and second, but the Gauchos (19-22, 5-7) started to get to him in the third. Dempsey Grover led off the frame with a single to left, and promptly stole second. One out later, JJ Muno singled to right, putting runners on the corners. Tommy Jew then lifted a sac fly to left, slicing the Highlanders' advantage in half.

UC Santa Barbara took the lead in the top of the fourth, when Armani Smith drew a walk, and Kyle Plantier drilled a homer to left center to make it 3-2 Gauchos.

The next batter, Grover, beat out an infield single to third, and advanced to second when Michael Farris' throw got past first baseman Cade Peters. The Highlanders went to the pen, bringing in Ricky Delgado, who got Colton Burns to line out to left, sending Grover to third in the process. A wild pitch brought Grover home with UCSB's fourth run of the game.

Grover scored the Gauchos' fifth run of the game when he led off the top of the sixth with a solo shot to left center.

The Highlanders finally got to the UCSB bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to three consecutive singles, the last of which came off the bat of Contreras, scoring Schultz from third. Reliever Ben Brecht gave up all three of those hits, and was lifted in favor of Steven Ledesma. Ledesma got out of the inning with a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play.

He wasn't so fortunate in the bottom of the eighth, however. Cade Peters led off the inning with a double down the right field line, and a walk to Cannon put runners at first and second. A Yeager Taylor fly out to right moved both runners up 90 feet, and Skyler de los Reyes went in to pinch run for Cannon. Cody Sporrer followed with a single to left which plated both runners to tie the score.

UC Riverside remains at home this week, hosting Fresno State on Wednesday, May 3 beginning at 3 pm PT.