DAVIS, Calif. – UC Riverside hit the road for their first conference series away from The Plex, as they headed north to UC Davis for three. The Highlanders lost their last two games giving up ten or more runs in each. For the Aggies, tonight marked their first game in conference play.

UCR sent Matthew O'Brien to the bump for the series opener. The Highlanders' lefty entered the game with a 1-1 record and a 4.76 ERA. The last time he pitched was one week ago today in the conference home opener against Hawai'i.

UC Davis started scored first as O'Brien surrendered a grand slam, giving the Aggies a 4-0. Three more runs came across in the inning and UC Davis was up 7-0.

The Highlanders pushed three across in the top of the third as Manoah Chapman singled with the bases loaded scoring Tyler Gordon and Griffin Harrison. Jayden Lopez then scored on a fielder's choice by David Whittle, making it 7-3.

But that seven run lead was difficult to overcome. The Aggies pushed runs across in the fifth and sixth innings making it 9-3.

That's how it ended and the Highlanders dropped their third in a row. Next game is at UC Davis on Saturday with first pitch at 2PM.