RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Looking for its second straight win against San Jose State (15-22) on Saturday night, UC Riverside (15-18) would need extra innings to decide a home outcome for the third time this season. Unfortunately for the Highlanders, they were held to just one hit over the final seven innings, resulting in a 5-3 defeat.
Outfielder Matt Hardy showed out as the key contributor on the offensive end for UC Riverside, as the junior played a part in all three of the home side's runs. Senior shortstop Colby Schultz also made the most of his at bats, going 2-for-4 and nearly setting himself up for the winning run with a triple in the bottom of the 10th.
However, Schultz – who also earned a walk two innings earlier – would be the only Highlander to get on base following the conclusion of the fifth inning. After facing eight different Highlander pitchers on the night, the Spartans would break a 3-3 deadlock with two runs in the top of the 12th, tying the weekend's series at one win apiece.
Hardy also finished 2-of-4 at the plate, racking up two RBI and a run. He now has four multi-hit outings on the season and 21 RBI, the latter tying him with Anthony Lepre for second-most on the team.
After San Jose State put up one-run innings in both the fourth and the fifth to take a 2-1 advantage, the Highlanders would retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth, doing all of their damage facing two outs. Dean Miller and Colby Schultz went back-to-back with a single and a double, setting the stage for a Hardy two-run single through the left side.
Hardy was the first player on either side to scratch, putting UCR up 1-0 in the opening inning, also against two outs. After he initially got on base with a double to center field, a high pop-up by Lepre would prove too tricky to handle for the Spartan first baseman right at the plate, allowing Hardy to make it home all the way from second base.
As a team, the Highlanders finished with seven hits, as Miller, Lepre and senior second baseman Cody Sporrer all reached via singles.
It was just the second time all year that UCR lost a game in which it held a lead in the eighth inning or later. The Highlanders were 11-1 in such scenarios prior to Saturday's contest.
The Highlanders will close out their final non-conference weekend series of the season tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
