RIVERSIDE, Calif – The UC Riverside Highlanders baseball team concluded a four-game set against the visiting Crusaders of the College of the Holy Cross with a 20-10 slugfest win to claim the series-winning three of the four games played. Highlander baseball fans definitely got their money's worth today, getting to see 20 Highlanders cross the plate in the series finale. Due to Holy Cross travel time constraints, as the game stretched towards the four-hour mark, it was called final by the umpires in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Holy Cross scored the first run of the game in the top of the second, with a couple of Crusader singles sending a baserunner home. The Highlanders answered back, in a hint of what was to come, with a four-run bottom of the third inning. It was the first of three times this ballgame that the Highlanders offense would bat through the lineup. Travis Bohall got on base with a bunt to start things off for UCR. Cole Pofek earned his first RBI of the day with a single to drive in Bohall to tie the game 1-1. Dylan Orick doubled to the wall to send Taylor Juline and Nick Pena home. Juline got on base with a single and Pena reached on a walk.
 
With a 4-1 lead, UCR settled into a scoreless fourth inning. Starting pitcher Trevor Bateson threw into the fifth inning before letting up a run and loading the bases, cutting the Highlanders lead to 4-2. Shamus Lyons would relieve Bateson with bases loaded to try and get UCR out of the inning. The umpires charged him with a balk in the first batter he faced to advance a Crusader home. In the next at bat, a three-run homerun put Holy Cross in the lead for the second time this game, 6-3.
 
The Highlanders exploded again in the sixth inning, answering back to the Crusaders' rally with six runs and batting through their complete order for the second time in this contest. The Highlanders also hit for the cycle in the inning, with singles from Bohall and Skyler de los Reyes, doubles from Ethan Payne and Damien Sanchez, a triple from Dylan Orick, and to wrap things up, an inside-the-park homerun from Cole Pofek, who earned three RBIs for his feat.
 
Riley Ohl entered the game in relief for Lyons in the top of the seventh. He let up a run and put runners on second and third before Head Coach Troy Percival would put closer Andre Granillo in to end the inning. He let up one run on a wild pitch before closing it out. 
 
With a 10-8 lead entering the top of the eighth, the Highlanders capitalized on a thin Crusaders bullpen and batted through their order for the third time this game, scoring nine more runs on four hits. It would take three separate Holy Cross pitchers to retire the Highlanders. Nick Pena, Nate Webb and Ari Gerber (pinch-hitting for Juline) grabbed singles in the inning. Dylan Orick smacked his second double of the game all the way to the wall.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Nate Webb sent a soaring homerun over left field before the umpires called the game, to bring the final score to 20-10. The Highlanders take the series having won three of the four games.
 
Nick Pena was great all day, going two for three at the plate, scoring three runs with one RBI. Pena also got himself on base with three walks. Orick went three for six (two doubles and a triple) with three runs and three RBIs. Juline also played his part at bat for the Highlanders, going three for four with one run, as well as getting on base with a walk. Pofek and Webb each hit a homerun and four RBIs.
 
As far as pitching this game, Highlanders starter Bateson threw 4.1 innings letting up five runs on five hits, walking two and punching seven strike outs. Lyons collected the win today, with 1.2 innings, one run on two hits, one walk and three strike outs. Ohl, Granillo, Cole Tucker and Adrian Garcia each saw less than an inning but completed the game for the Highlanders. Ohl let up one run on two hits, and Tucker let up two runs on two hits. Granillo and Garcia would each punch two strikeouts in their .2 inning appearances.
 
With a hard-earned series win under their belts, the Highlanders advance to 9-7 overall this season and look towards next weekend's road trip. UC Riverside travels to CSU Bakersfield to play a three-game set with the Roadrunners. This series is significant as next year, CSU Bakersfield will join the Big West as a conference opponent. Game one kicks off Friday, March 13 at 6 PM.