RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside swept a doubleheader with Saint Mary's, 9-1 and 9-6, on Friday afternoon at Amy S. Harrison Field for the Highlanders' fourth win in their last six games. 
 
With 11 hits in game two, UCR has now gone north of 10 hits for the fourth time this season. Every game of which has come in four of the Highlanders' last five outings.
 
"I'm thrilled with the way our offense showed up today, worked hard and stuck to their hitting plans against different pitchers. I loved how we stayed attacking all the way through an were consistently putting pressure on the other team's defense," head coach Nikki Palmer said.
 
UC Riverside wasted no time in the batter's box in game one, taking an early 3-0 lead thanks in part to a third-inning RBI double from Jantzen Owen off the left field wall. Owen went 2 for 2 in game one with a run and three RBIs. 
 
Gigi Araki pushed UCR's run production to four in the second, giving the Highlanders a 5-0 lead on an RBI double before UC Riverside tacked on four more runs. Araki and Ortega accounted for two RBIs apiece in Friday's opener while the Highlanders as a unit put up four runs in alternating innings. 
 
Chrys Hildebrand did what she does best in the circle, striking out five of her first seven batters en route to a seven-strikeout afternoon in the run-ruled contest while allowing just two hits in a complete 5.0 innings of work. 
 
Saint Mary's got a jump start on game two with a 4-1 lead before Marissa Burk cranked a grand slam just inside the left field foul pole to put UCR ahead 5-4 in the third inning. Burk was nearly unstoppable on the afternoon, going a combined 5 for 6 with two runs and four RBIs. 
 
The sophomore was one of three Highlanders to collect multiple hits in game two, joined by Max Ortega's 2-for-4 performance and a perfect 3-for-3 outing from Lauryn Garewal that included three runs. 
 
UC Riverside now turns its attention to Big West play, welcoming Long Beach State to the Inland Empire for a three-game series on March 19 and 20. Tickets for all three games are available at highlanderstickets.universitytickets.com, and students are free with a valid UCR ID.