RIVERSIDE, Calif.- Finally, Opening Day, but to be honest the weather made it a bit interesting. The Highlanders opened the 2025 campaign at The Plex hosting Utah Valley out of the WAC.

"Good start to the season," UC Riverside coach Justin Johnson said after the game. "Happy to start with a win and proud of the way they guys just kept chopping."

Kurt Marton got the nod on the bump for the Highlanders. Last season, Marton appeared in 18 games and started nine. The 6-foot-1 sophomore looked to get the season started off on the right foot. The righty would go three plus innings in his 2025 debut.

With the Wolverines threatening, UCR went to the bullpen and brought in Josh Martinez to try and get out of the jam. After a sac-bunt by Utah Valley, Martinez hit Mason Strong to load the bases. Martinez settled down a bit and struck out Kevin Parker. With two outs and the bases full Utah Valley looked to Jayden Smith and Martinez got him to pop up to get out of the jam.

Utah Valley scored the first run of the game on a fielder's choice ground out to third and advanced the runners to second and third. Martinez needed to bear down to limit the damage and struck out Utah Valley's Joseph Barnhardt.

Ethan Bergan led off UCR's half of the fifth with a leadoff single to right and was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double. Two batters later Tyler Gordon laced a double down the right field line and giving UCR its first runner in scoring position on the evening. Then Jacob Badawi singled Gordon home on a base hit to right, knotting the game at one. Robert Pitts followed Badawi with his first career hit as a Highlander and UCR tried to put something together with two outs, but that's all UCR would push across.

Martinez started the sixth walking the leadoff hitter and that ended his outing. He was solid, going two plus innings and surrendered one [earned] run. Nolan Milliman came in relief of Martinez. He got Kevin Parker to foul out, but Jayden Smith singled to left. Luke Iverson singled to right driving in the go-ahead run and giving the Wolverines a 2-1 lead.

Isaiah Hernandez led the bottom of the sixth with a double. After advancing to third on a wild pitch by Landon Zaborowski and then scored on a double by Griffin Harrison, knotting the game at two.

In the bottom of the seventh, Andrew Rivas came up big with a two out single driving in Manoah Chapman to give the Highlanders a 3-2 lead. While the throw appeared to beat Chapman, he somehow slid around it and scored.

To start the eight, UCR went back to the pen and Matt Hudson took the mound. The Highlanders' righty came in and set down the Wolverines in order and UCR took its one-run lead to the home half of the eighth.

Lopez drove a one-out double to right center for UCR with one out in the eighth, but the Highlanders could not cash in.

UCR took a 3-2 lead into the ninth and Hudson took the mound to try and close it out. He got Luke Iverson to fly out to center to start the inning and Jimmy De Anda bounced back to the box. Hudson then got Landon Frei to fly out to center and earned the save and secured the Highlanders' first win of the year.

"Pitching was really good, our defense was great and had some timely hitting," Johnson noted as the Highlanders had timely two out hitting driving in their runs.

UP NEXT: The Highlanders and the Wolverines face off tomorrow afternoon at 1PM in game two of the four game set.