RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Bouncing back from a 19-run loss Friday night, the Highlanders scored 24 runs in their doubleheader Saturday, taking a 2-1 lead in the four-game series with two wins over UC San Diego, 13-3 and 11-6, at Riverside Sports Complex.
Scoring at least once in 12 of their 15 innings at the plate on Saturday, including an eight-run fifth in game one, while committing zero errors in the field, UC Riverside was led by eight RBI from
Nathan Webb, who homered in both games, and
Dylan Orick, who went 7-for-8 on the day, including four doubles, with six runs scored, as the Highlanders recorded 28 hits in the two games.
On the mound for the Highlanders,
Tyler Frazier (2-1) and
Tucker Juline (3-2) both went six solid innings as UC Riverside improved to 14-20 (12-15 Big West), while UC San Diego fell to 11-24 (8-15 Big West).
In game one, after falling behind 2-1 on a two-run home run by Everett Lau, shortstop
Anthony Mata (2-for-3) led off the bottom of the second with a triple to the right field corner.
Joey Nicolai wasted no time bringing him home on sac fly to center to tie the game.
The Tritons regained the lead on an unearned run in the fourth before the Highlanders went on an offensive barrage in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
Cole Pofek (1-for-2, 2 runs, walk) led off with his first home run of season,
Ethan Payne singled and came home on a triple from
Travis Bohall, who subsequently scored on a grounder by
Jacob Shanks. Orick was driven in by Mata and Webb came home on a wild pitch. Three straight bases-loaded walks then saw Mata, Nicolai and Pofek cross the plate for a 10-5 lead. Webb would hit a two-run shot the following inning. A double by Orick scored
Ely Stuart (1-for-4, RBI) from second for a 13-3 wallkoff final of game one.
Game two featured more relentless if not explosive offense from the home team, as Webb singled the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning into center field for two of his six RBI, scoring Stuart and Orick.
Pofek scored on a single by Stuart for a 3-0 lead in the second and it was 4-0 in the third after Mata knocked in Orick, who doubled and reached third on a passed ball. Mata scored from first, running on the pitch when Nicolai doubled for a 5-0 ball game.
Tate Soderstrom hit a home run for the Tritons with one aboard to trim the lead to 5-2, but UCR got both those runs back. In the top of the sixth, UCSD's Blake Baumgaertner homered to open the inning, followed by solo shots by Aaron Kim and Marc Filia solo shots.
Tucker Juline still managed to get out of inning with a two-run lead, issuing no walks with five Ks.
Jake Lachemann induced a game-ending ground-ball double play to seal the second win at 11-6 for the Highlanders on Saturday, following
Shamus Lyons' closing of game one.
Next up, UC Riverside hosts the Tritons once more for Game 4 of the series at Riverside Sports Complex, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. Sunday.
