RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside imposed its will on Columbia on Monday afternoon at the Amy S. Harrison Field, taking a pair of run-rule wins from the Lions with 9-1 and 10-2 scorelines. 

It's the first time UC Riverside has won in back-to-back run-rule games since late last season and first in a doubleheader since wins over Brown (12-3) and Saint Mary's (11-0) at the 2018 Highlander Classic.

Spots three through seven in the lineup were the bulk of UCR's offense in game one's lopsided 9-1 victory, combining to go 9 for 13 with two runs each from Leah Brito and Kat Montuya and a trio of RBIs from Nadia Witt. Columbia struck first, but the Highlanders responded by plating two in the bottom of the first, then were silenced in the second before an onslaught of seven runs in the final three innings. 

Maddie Heinlin turned in her third game this season with at least eight strikeouts, going 5.0 innings with eight punchouts to improve to 5-4 on the year. 

Rebeca Cabezas followed up on her first collegiate RBI in game one, putting the Highlanders on the board first in game two with a single to center field. 

Left field, though, was where UCR got its run production to finish off the twin billing. After going down 2-1, UC Riverside surged ahead again on a Brito double to left, Gigi Araki grand slam to left and Jackie Alday double to left. Araki and Alday were a huge part of the Highlanders' seven-run fifth inning before Montuya's RBI single up the middle ended it. 

UCR will dive into Big West play this weekend at Long Beach State, with first pitch on Saturday, March 18 at 3:00 p.m. from the LBSU Softball Complex.