Softball tallies only one hit, drops series against Long Beach
The UC Riverside softball team travelled to Long Beach to square off against the 49ers in an ESPN-televised weekend from April 4-6. The Highlanders opened the first game with an 8-0 loss in five innings. Long Beach, who is ranked No. 43 in the nation, dominated from start to finish, ending the contest by mercy rule. The second game followed a similar narrative as Long Beach allowed only one UCR hit on the day en route to a 7-0 defeat. The 49er offense combined to score 15 runs in a pair of shutout victories while Riverside only recorded five hits compared to the 49ers’ 21. The 49ers closed the weekend series with a 15-4 victory over UCR on Sunday afternoon.
Men’s tennis shut out by Division II foe, 9-0
Returning from spring break, the Highlanders didn’t win a match on April 5 against Azusa Pacific, who are ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division II. APU dominated the doubles, winning all the contests in single sets. In singles, Azusa Pacific won every singles match, winning five of six in straight sets. Highlander Cooper Bridge was the only UCR player to extend his match to three sets, falling 5-7, 6-3, 10-6. “This was a disappointing effort today,” Head Coach Tim Downey stated. “We were a little rusty from the long layoff, and APU came out and played solid.” The following day, UCR had no better luck against UC Santa Barbara, falling 7-0.
UC Santa Barbara hands women’s tennis fourth conference loss
The Highlanders returned to the Big West Conference action on Saturday, April 5, with a 7-0 loss to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. UC Riverside didn’t record a set on the day as the Gauchos took all three doubles points while securing every singles match in straight sets. Facing off against Cal Poly, the duo of Jasmine Almaguer and Courtney Pattugalan won the Highlanders first doubles point, but the team fell to the Mustangs, 7-0.
Track and field competes in Cal-Nevada Championship
The UC Riverside track and field team hit the road to partake in the Cal-Nevada Championship at the campus of UC San Diego on April 5-6. Chima Ikeme notched a top-three finish in the discus. Michael Harris’ mark of 14.23m in the triple jump earned the Highlander fifth place in the event, while Michael Kojin finished in seventh place in the 200. On the women’s side, the 4×100 meter relay team notched a top-three finish with a time of 47.49, while Noelle Abboud also finished in third in the 400-meter with a time of 56.53. Competing in the 100, Camille Deadwiler crossed the line with the sixth-best time of 12.11.
