LA JOLLA, Calif. - Sunday's series finale with UC San Diego was nothing short of a classic pitcher's duel, but the end result didn't go UC Riverside's way in a 1-0 defeat to the Tritons at Triton Softball Stadium. 

Neither team had recorded a hit up until the fourth inning and both teams combined for just five hits for the afternoon.

"It was an absolutely great game," Highlanders head coach Nikki Palmer said. "I was so proud of our fight and doing the little things well, but ultimately we just ran out of time."

Katie Barbarick got the ball to start her second game of the series, going four innings and allowing just one hit, a leadoff single in the fourth inning. 

Barbarick started the afternoon with a 1-2-3 inning to open the game, ultimately retiring eight of her first nine batters.

"I was focused each inning on putting my team in a position to win," said Barbarick, who allowed a season-low one hit in her four innings on Sunday. "The goal was to be efficient and get our hitters back in the box, and I think we did that well. I was really proud of us today. We showed a lot of fight."

The Highlanders' offense put two runners on in the fifth inning, starting with a leadoff single from Maiah Motta on the first pitch of the inning. Kennedi Sorensen reached on a fielder's choice in the inning, and after Motta was thrown out at second, UCR put two runners back on the base paths with a single from Leah Brito. 

Caitlyn Rivera came on to relieve Barbarick in the fifth inning, making it five appearances for the redshirt junior in as many games. After getting out of a fifth inning that left two Tritons on base with no runs, Rivera retired five straight batters through the sixth and seventh innings.

UC Riverside will cap off its 2021 season with a three-game series at UC Santa Barbara, beginning on May 8.