RIVERSIDE, Calif – In a show of offensive force, the UC Riverside Highlanders baseball team defeated the California Baptist Lancers in a decisive third game of a four-game, season-long series.

The Lancers would strike early against the Highlanders senior RHP Cole Tucker, scoring two runs in the first inning off of an error on the shortstop with two runners on base and an RBI single.

Down two out of the gate, the Highlanders offense took to the bats with force in the bottom of the first. Travis Bohall would lead off with a single up the middle, followed by Cole Pofek who drove him across home plate with a powerful RBI-triple to deep right field. Dylan Orick would bring Pofek home with a double, tying the ballgame at 2-2 in just three at bats. The Highlanders were not done yet. Nathan Webb would drive in two more runs with a double, followed with a base hit by Skyler de Los Reyes who would drive in designated hitter Nick Pena who got on base with a bunt.  The Highlanders would lead at the end of the first inning 5-2.

Both teams settled through a scoreless second and third inning, but Highlander bats warmed up again in the bottom of the fourth. De Los Reyes got on base with a single, allowing Damien Sanchez to reach on a fielder's choice. Bohall advanced him with a base hit. With runners on first and second, Pofek smacked a single that would drive in Sanchez. Orick would reach on another fielder's choice that would send Bohall home, bringing the score to 7-2 in favor of the Highlanders.

Another blitzkrieg from Highlander offense came in the form of a six-run sixth inning. Two walks and another single from Bohall loaded the bases for UCR. The Lancers would attempt to quell the Highlanders bats with a pitching change, to no effect. Garrett Calvert came in to pinch hit with bases loaded, and roped a three-RBI double down the right field line to clear the bases. Shanks would reach on an error, followed by Webb with a fielder's choice that would send Shanks back to the dugout and advance Calvert to third. Ethan Payne walked to load the bases for the second time this inning. De Los Reyes singled and brought Calvert home. Sanchez got to base on balls with bases loaded, bringing Webb home. Bohall would single to bring in the sixth and final run of the inning, bringing the score to 13-2.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Damien Sanchez singled to bring the final Highlander run into home.

Alongside UCR's starting arm Tucker, four members of the Highlanders bullpen worked to hold the Lancers to just two runs on four hits, including a six-inning no-hit drought after CBU's pair of runs in the first. Shamus Lyons would pick up the win, bringing his record to 1-0 after relieving Tucker in the second inning and throwing 3.2 innings with no hits, four walks and four strikeouts in 11 batters faced. Connor Martin would throw the sixth inning, followed by Nick Kafer in the seventh and eighth. Right-handed senior Adrian Garcia would close the game in the ninth, holding the Lancers to the two runs they scored in the first inning for the final score of 14-2.

Highlanders offense would pound out 14 runs on 16 hits with just one error in the slugfest. The Highlanders advance to 2-5 on the season. UC Riverside will host the fourth and final game against CBU this season on April 28 at 6 PM.

Head Coach Troy Percival said, "It always feels good to beat a good team. They may not be as strong as they've been in the past, but with Gary over there they will always put a quality program together. To take two out of three from them is good for us, we need to get on a roll. We got a tough game tomorrow with UNLV, so we will take every one we can get."

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 25 the Highlanders host UNLV.