Hannah Rodriguez Swing New
5
Winner Marshall MAR 1-0
2
UC Riverside UCR 0-1
Winner
Marshall MAR
1-0
5
Final
2
UC Riverside UCR
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Marshall MAR 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 5 14 3
UC Riverside UCR 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 7 1

W: TOLBERT, A. (1-0) L: Olmos, Melanie (0-1)

8
Portland State PSU 0-1
9
Winner UC Riverside UCR 1-1
Portland State PSU
0-1
8
Final
9
UC Riverside UCR
1-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Portland State PSU 5 0 1 0 1 1 0 8 13 2
UC Riverside UCR 6 0 2 0 0 1 X 9 11 2

W: Olmos, Melanie (1-1) L: SCHIMMEL, H (0-1) S: Marschall, Haley (1)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Splits Opening Doubleheader

SAN DIEGO, Calif.— The UC Riverside Softball Team kicked off the 2019 season Friday morning as the Highlanders competed in a doubleheader at the USD Tournament. UCR would start the day off with a tough 5-2 loss to Marshall before bouncing back to best Portland State 9-8 with a late-inning run.

MARSHALL
The Herd got out to a quick start scoring four runs in the first three innings, but the Highlanders would answer, cutting the lead in half in the bottom of the third.

Junior Danielle Ortega got the Highlanders reaching first on a bunt single and turning the corner on an error by the defense. With her teammate in scoring position, senior Brittney Garcia stepped to the plate roping a single to right field and driving in Ortega for the team's first RBI of the season. Freshmen Moana Pisia was the next up notching her second hit of the day, and her career, which allowed Garcia to come across home plate after a miscue by The Herd. 

The Highlanders' two run inning would cut the lead in half, but Marshall would add another run in 4th and take the game 5-2.

Ortega and Pisia were bright spots for the offense in the team's first game going a combined 4-for-5 with two walks and a run.

PORTLAND STATE
The matchup with the Vikings felt very familiar as Portland State opened with a five-run first inning but junior Melanie Olmos, who earned the start against Marshall earlier in the day, would enter with two outs in the first inning and hold down the Highlander defense. After getting her team out of a jam, Olmos would go on to toss 5.1 innings and allow just three runs, while striking out three, to earn her first win in blue and gold.

Down 5-0 in the first, Ortega would once again spark the Highlander offense roping a triple to right and Pisia would pick up her first RBI with a single through the right side to follow. Hits from Garcia, and freshmen Nadia Witt, Janzten Owen, and Haylee Kela would drive in five more Highlander runs to give UCR a six-run inning and a 6-5 lead.

The second inning would go scoreless on both sides, but the Vikings would add a run in the top of the third to ice the game at 6-6. In the bottom of the third, Garcia stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and laid down a bunt single to regain the lead and junior Emma Ramelot's sac-fly would put the Highlanders up 8-6.

The Vikings refused to quit adding one run in the fifth and sixth inning to tie it again.

In the bottom of the sixth, Garcia showed off her small ball skills drawing a walk, stealing second, advancing to third on a ground out, and then scoring on a error by Portland State to score the final run of the day and give her team a 9-8 lead.

Junior Haley Marschall would enter in the top of the seventh and retire the batters in order to earn her first save since her freshman season.

UCR piled up 11 hits on the day with Garcia and Kela both going 2-for-3. Garcia would also add a walk, two RBIs, and two runs.

UC Riverside is back at it tomorrow with another doubleheader as the Highlander will face host San Diego before rematching Marshall.