RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside hosted CSUN to open up a three-game series with the Matadors on NFCA Day, taking game one 3-0 for program win number 700 and dropping a 6-5 16-inning marathon at the Amy. S Harrison Softball Field.

The Highlanders have now made program history in three of the last five weekends after head coach Nikki Palmer's record-breaking win and UCR's six-run comeback at Hawaii. 

UCR scored all three of its runs in the fourth after threatening in the first and going quietly in the next two frames. Jackie Alday collected her third RBI in her last four games with a single to second, as Marissa Burk advanced to second before wheeling around to score on an error. Nadia Witt and Kat Montuya collected two hits apiece and Maddie Heinlin struck out five in a complete game performance.

UCR pounced on game two offensively. Leah Brito notched her fourth RBI in her last seven contests, sending the first pitch she saw down the right field line to put the Highlanders up 1-0. CSUN responded two innings later with a pair of runs for the 2-1 lead. 

The Highlanders went quietly in the second and third innings, but tied it up with Gigi Araki's second extra-base hit of the game in the fourth. Araki roped a game-tying double to center after her two-run triple in game one. 

Alexis Galvan entered the circle in the seventh and struck out three of the four Matadors she faced to make quick work of CSUN ahead of a walkoff opportunity. The Highlanders started the seventh aggressively with Araki singling down the left field line on her first pitch, but not aggressive enough as UCR and CSUN headed to extras for the second meeting in their last three. 

Galvan once again shutdown CSUN in the eighth with her fourth strikeout plus a pair of groundouts before exiting at the start of the 11th. The freshman went 4.0 innings with five strikeouts, throwing 30 of her 39 pitches for strikes. 

UCR and CSUN eventually reached the distinction of playing the longest game in college softball this season at 15 innings, where the Matadors threatened with two on and one out before grounding into an inning-ending double play. Action resumed the next day due to darkness, and the Highlanders put together a three-run rally that fell just short of CSUN's four-spot in the 16th. 

UCR and CSUN will finish the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.