Feb. 22, 2013
Toreros 5 – Highlanders 0
UC Riverside hosted the Amy S. Harrison Classic and started the tournament off with a loss to the University of San Diego Toreros 0-5. All five runs by the Toreros were scored in the first inning.
Alyssa Razo started for the Highlanders and ended up having a tough day. Razo allowed a total of five runs and three hits in the first inning before being pulled. Razo was not the only UCR player to struggle in the first inning as sloppy defense by the Highlanders resulted in two errors.
Relief pitcher Ashley Ercolano entered the game for Razo in the midst of the first inning and only allowed three hits for the rest of the game. But the Highlanders couldn’t buy a run throughout the rest of the game as San Diego got the shutout against UCR.
Feb. 23, 2013
Broncos 4 – Highlanders 2
In their second match of the Amy S. Harrison Classic, the women’s softball team dropped a heartbreaker to Boise State, in which they held a 2-0 lead through six innings before giving up four consecutive runs in the seventh.
Highlanders Dionne Anderson and Marissa Escalante had an RBI to give the Highlanders an early 2-0 lead that held until the seventh inning.
UCR pitcher Alyssa Razo started at the mound and prevented a single Bronco run through six innings.
Relief pitcher Ashley Ercolano entered the game in the seventh inning. Subsequently, Boise State was able to load up the bases and score four runs off two hits and a walk. The Highlanders could not rally and suffered the second straight loss in their tournament.
Feb. 23, 2013
Highlanders 4 – Wildcats 3
In the second match of their doubleheader, the UC Riverside softball team chalked up their first win of the weekend against the Weber State Wildcats, winning the game 4-3.
Weber State took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a double steal that put runners at second and third. This allowed Wildcat Janel Cunningham to hit a two RBI single to centerfield.
A single by Highlander Alexis Pickett in the third inning put UCR on the board 1-2. The Highlanders took the lead for good in the fifth inning when hits by Ariel Shore, Brittanie Akey and Nicolette Lujan put UCR up 4-2. Weber State would score once in the sixth to narrow the gap 4-3, but the Highlanders would hold on for its first win.
Feb. 24, 2013
Highlanders 7 – Wildcats 5
The wins continue to pile up in the Amy S. Harrison classic as Highlander Ashley Ercolano hit a walk-off home run to snatch a 7-5 victory.
Weber State scored three unanswered runs in the first and second innings to give them an early 3-0 lead. The Wildcats then scored two more in the fourth and fifth to give them a commanding 5-0 lead.
A big fat zero showed on the UCR side of the scoreboard until the sixth inning when Kayla White fired a home run to centerfield to cut the deficit to 5-1.
At the bottom of the seventh inning, the Highlanders found themselves down four to Weber State. Dionne Anderson started the UCR rally, hitting a two run double to right center. Not long after, pitcher Ashley Ercolano stepped up to the plate and finished the job with a three-run walk off homer to give the Highlanders their second straight victory.
Feb. 24, 2013
Highlanders 4 – Toreros 1
A three-run third inning by the Highlanders ended a 0-0 deadlock between the two teams. Marissa Escalante’s single to centerfield with two runners on base put the first points on the board for the Highlanders. UCR followed that by another run in the third inning for a 4-1 victory.
Escalante struck again for the Highlanders in the fifth when she scored a run on a bad pitch by Torero pitcher Cassidy Coleman.
The Toreros finally scored in the top of the seventh inning, denying pitcher Alyssa Razo a shutout opportunity. Razo made quick work of the next batters however, clinching the Highlanders’ third straight win of the Amy S. Harrison Classic.
Next up for the softball team is the Wildcat Invitational in Tuscon, Ariz. slated to begin this Friday March 1.
