Highlanders Fall to Anteaters in Series Opener

Friday, May 8

Riverside, Calif.

2:00 pm

University of California, Riverside

14-33, 9-16

UC Irvine

22-25, 11-14

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UC Irvine	2	1	0	0	4	1	0	4	5	17	17	1
UC Riverside	0	0	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	5	10	4

Photo by: Elena Versage

Highlanders Fall to Anteaters in Series Opener

5/8/2026 7:58:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Highlanders hosted UC Irvine this afternoon in the first of three and the final home games of the season. The Highlanders' playoff hopes took a big hit last weekend when they were swept at Hawai'i.

Josh Torres got the start for UCR and Trevor Hansen started for UCI. Torres entered with a record of 1-3 and he took a tough loss last Friday night against the Rainbow Warriors. He gave up just the one run in the first inning, and the Highlanders dropped that game 1-0.

UC Irvine got on the board in the first when they pushed two across. It started with a leadoff single by Daniel Polasek. He came around to score on an RBI double by Lucas Schermer and the second run scored on a wild pitch.

In the top of the second UCI pushed its third run across on a triple and error to make it 3-0.

The Highlanders got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a two-RBI triple by Robert Pitts. For the center fielder it was his second triple of the day and his 23 RBI on the year. Tyler Gordon was then hit by a pitch. UCR tied the game up at three on an attempted double steal and Pitts got into a rundown. The Anteaters' catcher threw the ball into left field and Pitts scored.
Torres was lifted in the fifth after a bases loaded walk that made it 4-3, UCI. Matt Hudson came in relief to try and minimize the damage but gave up a two-RBI double to left center making it 6-3 Anteaters. UCI scored a fourth run in the frame on an error by UCR to make it 7-3.

It was 8-3 UC Irvine heading into the bottom of the sixth and the Highlanders tried to mount a comeback. UCR's first three hitters all got on base. Jarren Sanderson led off with a single and Isaiah Hernandez followed with a double to right. Manoah Chapman then drove in Sanderson on a single to center. Tyler Bolyard then pinch hit for Tyler Gordon and drove in Hernandez on a sac-fly to center and it was 8-5. For Bolyard, a freshman out of Folsom Calif., it was his first collegiate RBI.

That was all the scoring for the Highlanders. The Anteaters scored nine runs in the final two innings to put the game out of reach, 17-5.

Game two is set for tomorrow at The Plex with first pitch at 1PM.