RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside closed out the 2023 season on Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 walk-off victory over CSU Bakersfield at Amy S. Harrison Field, sending off seniors Marissa Burk and Lauryn Garewal in dramatic fashion. 

The Highlanders end the 2023 campaign at 25-28 after winning eight of their final 10 games, and have now won eight straight over Bakersfield with the sweep. UCR also secured its eighth 25-win season in the Division I era - five of which have come under head coach Nikki Palmer - and second straight. 

Both teams traded runs in the first in what started out as more of a fight from the Roadrunners than either side of Friday's doubleheader dominance from UCR. Gigi Araki reached on an error in the third, but brought home a pair of runs in the process to give the Highlanders a two-run cushion. 

Bakersfield bit back with a two-spot in the fourth, but UC Riverside's freshman trio of Jackie Alday, Eta Lauti and Rebeca Cabezas delivered the dramatics in extra frames. Alday drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the eighth before swapping spots at first with Lauti. Cabezas then stepped up with UCR down to its final out, drilling a single into center that brought Lauti home from second. 

Nadia Witt went 1 for 4 for the afternoon, but with hit number 58 on the year, will finish in the top 10 of UC Riverside's Division I single-season list. Kat Montuya delivered her second multi-hit game of the series and closed out the season with an impressive 4-for-7 line against the Roadrunners to go with five runs, two RBI, a double and a triple. 

Garewal finished her career with a hit in eight of her final 12 games with a 1-for-3 afternoon, while Burk's career came to a close following her second RBI of the series.