RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside kicked off a three-game series with Cal State Fullerton on Saturday afternoon at Amy S. Harrison Field, falling 3-2 in game one and 1-0 in game two. 

Marissa Burk started the offense in game one with a two-run RBI double in the first inning for her 11th and 12th RBIs of the season, cementing just her third multi-RBI contest of 2023. 

Maddie Heinlin faced a jam right off the bat with a leadoff double from Fullerton, but bounced back with a 1-2-3 inning in the third as part of her six strikeouts on the day in 4.1 innings. Things would not get easier for Heinlin though, who left to make room for Alexis Galvan's UCR debut. 

Galvan held things down in her first collegiate appearance with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Eta Lauti also saw her first appearance at Amy S. Harrison Field, pinch hitting for Rebeca Cabezas in the seventh inning. 

UC Riverside scattered runners into scoring position in the third and sixth, but was unable to put any go-ahead run across. Taylor Burdette even provided a spark of life with a double in the seventh, but that's all the offense UCR would see in the frame before Fullerton secured the game one win in extras.

Emma Falen got the ball to start game two in the circle for the Highlanders, going 3.1 innings in a pitcher's duel that saw just one run in a 1-0 decision. 

Nadia Witt's hit streak hit 25 games while back-to-back two-out singles in the fourth put the Highlanders in business, albeit without a tying run. Leah Brito walked in the seventh and advanced to second on a wild pitch with the tying run in scoring position. 

UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton will conclude this weekend's series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+.