RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The UC Riverside baseball team kicked off its penultimate series of the season under the lights at the Riverside Sports Complex on Friday, falling 7-3 to UC Santa Barbara.

UCR put 10 hits on the board, but a 4-0 Gaucho lead after three innings proved to be too much.

Jacob Shanks led off the second inning with a single up the middle, only for Cole Pofek to hit into a double play on the ensuing at bat. Back-to-back singles from Joey Nicolai and Ethan Payne put a runner in scoring position for the Highlanders. 

UCR only had to wait two innings, though, for run production.

Anthony Mata singled to lead off the fourth inning and advanced to second on an errant throw to first. The freshman came home on the next UCR at bat, as Shanks recorded his 15th RBI of the season with a single up the middle on a 2-0 pitch. Shanks, who finished the night going 2 for 4 for his 15th multi-hit game on the year, came around to score on a Joey Nicolai sacrifice fly that cut the Gaucho lead to 4-2.

Dylan Orick picked up RBI number 28 on the year and his fourth in his last six games with a right field-single that scored Travis Bohall, who led off the inning with a single to left.

Bohall also had a 2-for-4 night, recording a hit now in three of his last five games and his first multi-hit game since April 25.

Trevor Bateson turned in another quality outing in relief for the Highlanders, going 2.0 innings with three strikeouts and just two hits.

UCR returns to action on Saturday with a doubleheader against UC Santa Barbara. First pitch from the Riverside Sports Complex is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.