April 14, 2012
Gauchos 11 – Highlanders 1
The UC Riverside softball team (18-21, 1-6) held a double header Saturday afternoon against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (19-25, 4-3) due to a rain delay Friday. In the first game UCR was unable to keep up with the Gauchos’ bats and pitchers in route to a 1-11 loss.
Jordyn McDonald started for the Highlanders before she was pulled in the fifth inning. McDonald went five innings as she allowed eight hits, seven runs, five walks and six errors but she also struck out two batters.
The Gauchos scored first in the first inning with one run and again in the second with two runs while Riverside scored zero. Riverside would go scoreless until the bottom of the seventh, when the Highlanders finally scored a run, but that would be all they scored in the inning. In the seventh inning Riverside achieved three hits and a RBI single by Alexis Pickett, when she scored Alaina Thomas.
For the Highlanders, McDonald and Pickett were the only players to reach base more than once. McDonald went 2-3 with two assists and Pickett went 2-3 as well with one RBI, one walk and one strikeout.
April 14, 2012
Gauchos 6 – Highlanders 3
The Highlanders (18-22, 1-7) finished up their double header against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (20-25, 5-3) Saturday afternoon. Riverside continued their woes, losing their sixth straight game, five at home, in route to a 3-6 loss.
For the Highlanders Taylor Alvarez started in the circle and held the Gauchos to zero runs until the fourth inning. Alvarez went 4.1 innings, allowed four hits, five runs, seven walks but also got four strikeouts.
Riverside did their damage in the second inning when they got two runs on four hits but left three players on base. It started with a Keeny homer to left field, hitting the outfield fence and bouncing over. Yesenia Duenas singled toward third base, beating out the throw at first base. Alaina Thomas then singled to shortstop and later stole second base. Kayla White later walked and Ariel Shore singled to left field for an RBI that scored Duenas. UC Riverside scored once more in the seventh inning but couldn’t mount a comeback.
For Riverside, Thomas went 2-3 with one assist and White, the only other Highlander to reach the bases more than once, went 2-4 with one RBI and one strikeout.
April 15, 2012
Gauchos 3 – Highlanders 1
The UC Riverside softball team (18-23, 1-8) finished their three game series against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (21-25, 6-3) Sunday afternoon. Riverside would go on to lose 1-3 for their seventh loss in a row.
Casey Suda (2-2) started for the Highlanders going 4.1 innings and struggled as she allowed five hits, three runs and one walk while three errors were credited to her. Jordyn McDonald came in for relief as she went 2.2 innings and only allowed one run and one walk while striking out three batters.
The Highlanders only got three hits as a unit, which came from Ariel Shore, Dionne Anderson and Yesenia Duenas. Duenas finished the game with four assists and was the only Riverside player with a RBI.
Riverside’s three hits came in the fourth inning, scoring their only run of the game. Shore started it off with a single to right center. Keeney laid a sacrifice bunt which advanced shore to second base. Anderson doubled to left center field which advanced Shore to third. Duenas singled when she laid down a bunt for an RBI that scored Shore.
Riverside has 12 games left in the season and only three of them are at home. They look to make a push towards the playoffs as they face Cal State Fullerton April 21.
