LONG BEACH, Calif. – Offensive spurts were more common and productive in the series finale with Long Beach State, as UC Riverside softball showed signs of life in Monday morning's contest.
 
A two-run fourth was the offense UCR was looking for all weekend, but it wasn't enough to thwart a 7-3 defeat to the Beach to close out the first series of Big West action. 
 
"I thought we battled this weekend and got better in a lot of ways," head coach Nikki Palmer said. "We have a lot of things that we can work on this week and we are looking forward to good competition again next weekend."
 
Kennedi Sorensen and Briza Blanco each recorded an RBI in Monday's finale, and Sorensen's RBI single in the fifth extended her hit streak to five games and seven in the last eight. After recording a hit in five straight contests, Blanco saw her first hit of the Long Beach State series on a 1-1 pitch in the fourth inning that scored Marissa Burk. Burk, who reached base on a leadoff single up the middle, has now recorded a hit in five of her last six games.
 
Katherine Montuya saw Sorensen's five-game hit streak and matched it with a fifth-inning leadoff single. 
 
Chrys Hildebrand took the circle for the second time in the series, escaping a second-inning jam despite the Beach putting two runners on with a pair of singles to left field. 
 
Leah Brito recorded the first RBI of her collegiate career on Monday, reaching on a fielder's choice in the fourth inning to pull the Highlanders within a run.
 
UC Riverside will return home to Amy S. Harrison Field to host Cal Poly in both teams' second Big West series of the season. First pitch against the Mustangs is slated for Saturday, March 27 at 1:00 p.m.