RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside erased a six-run deficit but couldn't secure the series in a 12-10 loss to Hawaii on Saturday night at the Riverside Sports Complex. 

The erased six-run deficit was the first for UCR since April 29, 2018 against UC Santa Barbara, five years ago to the day. 

Hawaii took out its frustration from Friday's series-opening loss, opening up a 6-0 lead on the Highlanders through four innings. UCR caught a break in the bottom half, as Dominic Martinez reached on a dropped routine fly ball that scored Tyler Weaver from third to erase the shutout. 

Martinez's hot streak continued in game two, now collecting hits in five of his last seven games and RBIs in four of his last five. Weaver also stayed hot, now with multi-hit performances in three of his last four games. 

UCR matched Hawaii's first-inning four spot with a four-run inning of their own in the sixth. Weaver's single started the rally while Martinez and Anthony Mata traded back-to-back RBI hits to cut the deficit to one. 

The Highlanders got a couple breaks with wild pitches that brought runs home, but it was a double from Jacob Shanks off the left field wall that put a once six-run deficit to rest. Hawaii threatened in the seventh, but Caleb Turner entered and immediately shut down the Rainbow Warriors with a pair of strikeouts to retire the side. 

Hawaii reclaimed the lead in the eighth with the game's fourth four-run inning before Nick Poss responded with a game-tying double, his second straight game with a double and third in his last four games. 

UCR and Hawaii will battle it out in Sunday's rubber match on ESPN+ with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch from the Riverside Sports Complex.