RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside dropped both games of Friday afternoon's doubleheader to Long Beach State to open the home Big West schedule at Amy S. Harrison Field.
Aubrey Marx led off game one with a single to center field with nothing doing for the rest of the inning. The junior singled again in the third inning as UCR put two runners on in the frame.
Leilani Juan erased the shutout in the seventh with a first-pitch solo home run.
The Highlanders answered an offense-powered first inning of game two for Long Beach State with an equally explosive bottom of the frame. Rebeca Cabezas and Juan reached on back-to-back first pitches before Kayla Penor homered to cut the lead to one.
Trendee Kahunahana provided UCR's second double of the game in the second with nothing crossing home before Emory Cheng put down Long Beach in 1-2-3 fashion.
The Beach cushioned its lead in the fifth inning, but UC Riverside struck back in the sixth on an RBI double from Jackie Alday.
UCR will conclude the series with Long Beach State on Saturday, March 14, at 1:00 pm on ESPN+ from Amy S. Harrison Field. Tickets are available now at GoHighlanders.com/tickets.
