Riverside, Calif.— The UC Riverside Softball Team (17-7) defeated North Dakota State (9-7) Friday afternoon on the 2nd day of the 2018 UCR Classic. The Highlanders trailed the Bison 1-0 heading into the 5th, but late game heroics by senior Jenae Lockwood and a strong performance in the circle from freshman Hailey Dolcini gave UCR the late-inning victory.

"The great thing about our team is that they believe in themselves all the way till the last out," Head Coach Nikki Palmer said. "I don't think any teams write us off until the end of the game."

After NDSU scored an unearned run in the top of the 1st, pitcher Dolcini and the rest of the defense settled right in as the Bison were shut out the rest of the game, only garnering one hit and striking out eight times. The freshman picked up her 6th win of the season in this complete game outing and now leads the team with a 1.93 ERA.

"I thought Dolcini was just nails the whole game and her presence on the mound was fantastic," Palmer said. "She has gotten her legs under her and she is doing a great job for us."

UCR wouldn't reach home until the 5th inning but would tie the game thanks to an RBI single down the left line from freshman Seanna Garewal that scored freshman Raena Robinson from third. 

In the very next inning, catcher Jenae Lockwood would step to the plate with two outs and give the Highlanders their first lead of the game smacking a solo shot to left-center and scoring what would be the game-winning run. This was the first homerun of the season for Lockwood and the third of the weekend for UCR.