RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside dropped Tuesday's midweek contest to California Baptist, 5-1, at the Riverside Sports Complex.
Both road teams have now shared a Crosstown Showdown win this season with the next meeting coming on Tuesday, April 18 at CBU.
Tucker Juline came in for relief work for Jake Gebb and Tyler Frazier, making quick work of the Lancers with a 1-2-3 third inning following a rocky first for UCR. Juline also stranded a CBU runner at third an inning later.
Among UCR's busy pitching corps on Tuesday was Corbin Barker, who struck out two of his eight batters faced with a walk.
UC Riverside had a bit of help getting on the board in the sixth inning, as defensive miscues that included a pair of wild pitches helped the Highlanders erase the goose egg with Tyler Weaver scoring his sixth run of the year. Weaver's single up the middle, albeit UCR's second hit of the night, was just what the Highlanders ordered for a spark of offense. The junior was also hit by a pitch in the third inning.
Jacob Shanks accounted for UC Riverside's other hit in the Crosstown Showdown in the form of a leadoff single in the first, continuing his hot stretch of now 14 hits in his last 16 games - a spurt that began with the Highlanders' three-game series at Lamar on March 10.
Sean McLeod worked a bases-loaded walk in the ninth while pinch hitting for Andrew Gamez, and Ryker Billingsley pinch ran for McLeod before advancing to second on a balk, the furthest a Highlander would get on the base path on Tuesday night.
UCR will have a shot to get back above .500 in midweek action on Wednesday, hosting Tarleton State at the Riverside Sports Complex at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
