RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside grabbed its first win of the 2022 season on the opening day of the Lynn Russell Miller Classic, downing Utah Valley 7-4 on Friday afternoon at Amy S. Harrison Field. 

Haylee Kela and Moana Pisia provided the bulk of the offense on day two of the young season, as Kela went 2 for 3 with a run and three RBIs while Pisia's 1-for-2 day included a solo home run to left field that gave the Highlanders breathing room with a 6-4 lead in the sixth inning.  

"That felt awesome to have everyone back together again," head coach Nikki Palmer said. "It was kind of like we were missing a piece of our family last year, and so it was so great to have Haylee and Moana back in the dugout with us, with the energy they bring and what they bring on the field in terms of performance."

After Utah Valley struck first in the top of the first, Kela brought Lauryn Garewal and Max Ortega home on a 2-1 pitch that turned into a two-run RBI triple to right field. Kat Montuya singled on the first pitch of her at bat to bring Kela across home plate. 

Megan Casper recorded the win, going 3.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Maddie Heinlin saw her first collegiate action in the circle, going 2.1 innings with two strikeouts before Briza Blanco entered to earn her first save of the season. 

UVU used a two-spot in the fourth inning to come within a run, but the Highlanders' morning message from Palmer of "not backing down" and "owning our at bats" paid off, courtesy of Pisia's shot in the sixth inning that preceded a Marissa Burk RBI double to seal the win.  

"We talked about keeping our standard and our energy and attacking early, which I thought we did a great job of," Palmer said. 

UC Riverside continues the Lynn Russell Miller Classic with day two on Saturday, February 12 against Portland State at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for Saturday and all home games can be purchased at highlandertickets.universitytickets.com, and students are free with a valid UCR ID.