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Highlanders Drop Final Game With Cal Poly, 4-1

(April 1, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders dropped the final game of the its Big West conference opening series with Cal Poly, 4-1 Sunday afternoon at Amy S. Harrison Field. The Highlanders lost all three games this weekend to the Mustangs (27-9, 3-0), falling to 16-19 overall and 0-3 in Big West play.

UCR got on the board first when freshman designated player Marissa Alvidrez doubled home sophomore shortstop Tiana Towns to give the Highlanders a 1-0 lead.

The Mustangs answered right back with three runs of their own in the second. The biggest blow coming off the bat of, Big West leading hitter, Lisa Modglin who doubled home two runners with two outs to give Cal Poly a 3-1 advantage.

Modglin added to the Mustang lead with a solo homer to left to lead off the fifth and open up a 4-1 lead.
Highlander senior starting pitcher Sara Radabaugh allowed only one base runner in the final three innings after the Modglin homer. Radabaugh finished with three strikeouts in seven innings but suffered the loss, dropping her record to 0-5.

Junior shortstop Kristie Martinez came to bat as the tying run in the seventh after two Highlander singles put runners on first and second. Martinez sent a line drive down the right field line but it was caught by a diving Cal Poly right fielder Jenna Maiden to end the game. Mustang starting pitcher Emily Hively improved her record to 7-0 with the complete game victory.

Davis Sweeps Pair from UCR

(April 6, 2007) - The UC Davis Aggies swept the host UC Riverside Highlanders, 8-4 and 1-0, in a non-conference doubleheader at Amy S. Harrison Field in Riverside Friday.

The Aggies are now 22-13, while UCR is 16-21.

The Highlanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning as freshman designated player Marissa Alvidrez crushed a three-run homer deep over the left field wall, scoring shortstop Tiana Towns and catcher Cassie Greenawalt, who had each singled. UCR added a fourth run in the second inning as left fielder Tricia Adgar scored when Aggie first baseman Erin Emde dropped a two-out pop-up off of the bat of UCR second baseman April Murray.

But Aggie starter Jessica Hancock settled down and shut the Highlanders out the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Aggies bats came alive late against UCR starter Stephanie Marshall and reliever Christin Songer. Davis scored a pair of runs in the fifth inning on a Highlander wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Sarah Axelson to make the score 4-2.

The rally continued in the sixth as the Aggies sent eight batters to the plate, scoring four times. The first two batters of the inning reached against Marshall, sending Coach Connie Miner to the pen for Songer. The junior got the first out, but then surrendered three straight singles, a wild pitch and an RBI ground out to make the score 6-4 in favor of Davis. UCD added a pair of seventh inning insurance runs on a two-run single by Emde.

Songer took the loss, falling to 9-5 on the season, while Hancock improved to 10-7. Emde finished the game at 3-for-4. Towns, Greenawalt and right fielder Jennifer Thompson each had two hits for the Highlanders.

In game two, Nikki Sheldon reached second on an error, then moved to third on a pair of hit by pitches. Emde then struck again with a sacrifice fly to score her for a 1-0 lead.

That would be the only run of the game for either team, as Aggie starter Lindsay Tognetti pitched her second shutout of the season, improving to 11-4. UCR starter Sara Radabaugh was the hard-luck loser, falling to 0-6 despite allowing just four hits and strking out one in her best start of the season.

UCR's Lauren Bauer got the fans excited leading off the seventh, hitting a ball to the warning track in left center field, but it died in the glove of the center fielder, and Tognetti struck out the final two batters to close out the win.

Highlanders Fall in Finale with Davis, 7-0

(April 7, 2007) - The visiting UC Davis Aggies finished off a three-game sweep of the UC Riverside Highlanders with a 7-0 win at Amy S. Harrison Field in Riverside Saturday. Highlander junior catcher Cassie Greenawalt finished with two hits in a losing effort.

The Aggies jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, after loading the bases third baseman Nikki Sheldon brought home Trish Paine with a sacrifice fly.

Leftfielder Sara O’Neill hit a two-run homer to highlight a three-run inning for UC Davis in the fourth. An RBI single followed the homer to make it a 4-0 Aggie lead and chased Highlander junior pitcher Danira Iolamo from the game.

Senior pitcher Sara Radabaugh shut the door on the Aggies, holding them scoreless for the next three innings. The UC Davis offense came alive again to put the game away in the seventh with three more runs to take a 7-0 lead.

The Highlanders’ biggest chance to get back into the game came in the sixth when they loaded the bases with one out, but were unable to push any runs across after Aggie starting pitcher Jessica Hancock struck out freshman third baseman Lauren Bauer and got senior pinch hitter Rachel Crawford to ground out to end the threat.

The Highlanders fell to 16-22, 0-3 in the Big West, while UC Davis improved to 23-13-1.

Highlanders Lose in Rain-Soaked Opener at Pacific

(April 14, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders dropped a 7-1 game to the host University of the Pacific Tigers in a Big West contest in Stockton Saturday. The game was delayed by rain for four hours and the scheduled second game was postponed and rescheduled to a doubleheader on Sunday.

The Tigers improved to 29-13 overall and 4-0 in conference action while the Highlanders fell to 16-23 overall and 0-4 in the Big West.

Trailing 5-0, the Highlanders pushed a run across the plate in the sixth inning as sophomore left fielder Tiana Towns and junior second baseman April Murray led the inning off with singles and junior shortstop Kristie Martinez walked to load the bases. Freshman designated player Marissa Alvidrez brought he run home with a ground out to short, but the Highlanders couldn't push another run across.

UCR loaded the bases in the seventh inning with one out, but could not score.

UCR senior starting pitcher Sara Radabaugh took the loss (0-7) allowed nine hits and six earned runs in 5.1 innings of work, walking four and striking out four. The Tigers' Chelsea Engle improved to 16-9, throwing a complete-game four hitter, walking four and striking out eight.

Highlanders Fall to Pacific, 4-2 and 5-0

(April 15, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders lost both ends of a Big West doubleheader to the host University of the Pacific Tigers in Stockton Sunday. The Tigers prevailed in game one, 4-3 in eight innings, and then won the nightcap 5-0.

The Tigers improved to 31-13 overall and 6-0 in conference action while the Highlanders fell to 16-25 overall and 0-6 in the Big West.

Trailing 1-0 in the early going of game one, the Highlanders posted a three-spot in the fourth inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by freshman third baseman Lauren Bauer and sophomore left fielder Tricia Adgar. Sophomore center fielder Krystal Marquez followed with an RBI single to give UCR a 3-1 lead.

The Tigers came back to tie the score with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run homer by Gina Carbonatto. The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth inning when Lauren Weyman's bases loaded single plated the winning run.

Junior starter Christin Songer (9-6) took the loss, allowing two earned runs on nine hits in 7.2 innings of work. She struck out two and walked six. Alyce Jorgensen (7-2) got the win, allowing four hits and three runs.

Game two was all Pacific, as Chelsea Engle and Heidi Helberg combined on a one-hit shutout of the Highlanders. UCR starter Stephanie Marshall fell to 7-8 with four earned runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. Senior right fielder Jennifer Thompson got the HIghlanders' lone hit, a sixth inning single.

Highlanders Lose Pair to LBSU, 8-2 and 8-7

(April 21, 2007) - Long Beach State swept a pair of Big West games from UC Riverside at Amy S. Harrison Field Saturday. LBSU won the opener, 8-2, then came from behind to take the nightcap, 8-7.

The 49ers improve to 22-21 overall and 6-5 in the Big West. UCR is now 16-27 and 0-8 in the Big West.

In the first game, the 49ers scored three times in the second and three times in the third to take a 6-0 lead. UCR came back with a pair of runs in the fourth inning when junior catcher Cassie Greenawalt led off with a triple, then scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman pitcher Marissa Alvidrez. One out later, freshman third baseman Lauren Bauer doubled and came home on an RBI double by freshman second baseman Nicole Carter to make it 6-2.

The 49ers added a pair of insurance runs, scoring once in the fifth and once in the sixth to make the final margin 8-2.

Long Beach State's Bridgette Pagano (14-9) threw a complete-game five hitter, allowing a pair of runs for the 49ers. For the Highlanders, sophomore starter Stephanie Marshall (7-9) allowed four hits and three earned runs in 1.1 innings of work before giving way to Alvidrez, who allowed five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings of work.

Game two was a see-saw battle in which the 49ers scored first with a single run in the top of the second, but UCR came back to score two runs in the second on a two-run single by junior second baseman April Murray and three times in the third on a towering three run homer by Bauer for a 5-1 lead. But the 49ers came back with a single run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth on a homer by shortstop Jessica Beaver to make it 5-4. They then took the lead in the top of the sixth, scoring a pair of runs on an RBI double by Whitney Radcliffe and a sacrifice fly by Ashley Levine to take a 6-5 lead.

But UCR came back in the sixth with a pair of runs of their own. Sophomore center fielder Krystal Marquez led off the inning with a double to center, advanced to third on a sacrifice, then scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. One batter later, Alvidrez crushed her sixth homer of the season to give UCR a 7-6 lead.

However, the 49ers were not finished, and Beaver struck again, driving junior reliever Christin Songer's first pitch of the seventh over the wall for the game tying homer. Moments later the go-ahead run came home after a single, ground out and a pair of wild pitches to give LBSU an 8-7 lead. The Highlanders led off the seventh with a single by Bauer, but pinch runner Hailey Marshall could get no further than second base and the 49ers prevailed.

Songer took the loss, falling to 9-7, allowing two runs on four hits in 1.2 innings. Senior starter Sara Radabaugh threw 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and six earned runs. Long Beach's Melissa DeMarco got the win (1-0) with four innings of four-hit, two run relief. Pagano earned her first save with her scoreless seventh.

Highlanders Fall to 49ers, 15-2

(April 22, 2007) - The Long Beach State 49ers completed a three game sweep of the host UC Riverside Highlanders with a 15-2 win in a Big West game at Amy S. Harrison Field in Riverside Sunday.

The 49ers improve to 23-21 overall and 7-5 in the Big West. UCR is now 16-28 and 0-9 in the Big West.

The 49ers opened the scoring with three unearned runs in the first inning off of UCR freshman starter Marissa Alvidrez (0-2). But the Highlanders bounced right back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on freshman shortstop Lauren Bauer's eighth home run of the year, a two-run shot that scored Alvidrez, who had kept the inning alive with a two-out double.

The 49ers came back wtih another three runs in the top of the second inning off of Alvidrez, with Brooke LeSage's two-out, two-run single making it 6-2 and chasing Alvidrez in favor of senior Sara Radabaugh. Radabaugh got out of the inning without further damage, but in the fourth the 49ers batted around, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs with two out to build the margin to 13-2.

Bridgette Pagano nailed a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth to make it 15-2. Both runs were unearned following a two-out error.

Pagano got the win, improving to 15-9. She allowed two runs on three hits while striking out six in five innings of work.

Northridge Sweeps UCR, 12-4 & 5-1

(April 28, 2007) -The Cal State Northridge Matadors posted a sweep in their Big West doubleheader with visiting UC Riverside Saturday, winning the opener 12-4, then sweeping the afternoon with a 5-1 in game two.

The Matadors improve to 18-19-1 overall and 6-8 in Big West play, while the Highlanders fall to 16-30 and 0-11 in conference action.

Northridge exploded for seven runs, four earned, in the first inning of game one off of Highlander starter Christin Songer (9-8). Songer walked two, allowed four hits and was victimized by an error before coming out having retired just a pair of batters. The Matadors added four runs in the bottom of the fourth of off reliever Danira Iolamo to make it 11-0.

UCR scored four runs in the fifth inning. Senior pinch hitter Rachel Crawford, sophomore third baseman Katie Curtis and sophomore left fielder Tricia Adgar each reached on singles and a wild pitch scored Crawford to make it 11-1. A single to left by sophomore center fielder Krystal Marquez plated Curtis to cut it to 11-2 and another single by junior second baseman April Murray made it 11-3. After Marquez stole third, junior catcher Cassie Greenawalt doubled down the right-field line to cut the deficit to seven at 11-4.

But in the bottom of the fifth the Matadors put the game away with Christina Saenz's fourth homer of the season to make the final score 12-4 via the mercy rule.

UCR had seven hits on the day, but committed four errors, leading to five unearned runs. Northridge's Mercedes Lovato improved to 12-10 with five innings of work, allowing seven hits, four earned runs while striking out five.

In game two, Riverside jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an unearned run. With one out, senior shortstop Hailey Marshall reached on an error by second baseman Sarah Kahn-Shamout. Back-to-back walks to freshman DP Marissa Alvidrez and Iolamo, now playing first, loaded the bases and a sacrifice fly by catcher Crawford to left gave the Highlanders an early lead.

Northridge tied the score in the bottom of the inning, then took the lead with a pair of runs in the third and two more in the fourth. That was more than enough for CSUN starter Amanda Pitzenberger (6-6), who surrendered just four hits and one unearned run in the complete game win. UCR senior starter Sara Radabaugh took the loss (0-8), allowing three earned runs on seven hits in six innings of work.

The series concludes with a single game on Sunday at noon.

Northridge Posts 11-3 Win Over UCR

(April 29, 2007) - The Cal State Northridge Matadors defeated the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders, 11-3, in a Big West contest shortened to five innings by the mercy rule in Northridge Sunday.

The Matadors improve to 19-19-1 overall and 7-8 in Big West play, while the Highlanders fall to 16-31 and 0-12 in league action. The Matadors swept the series from the Highlanders.

The Highlanders opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when senior second baseman April Murray led off with a single, went to second on a sacrifice and third on a wild pitch, then scored on an infield single by junior catcher Cassie Greenawalt to go up 1-0. The Matadors tied it up in the bottom of the inning, but UCR came back to score a pair of runs in the top of the second to take a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore third baseman Katie Curtis and sophomore left fielder Tricia Adgar led off the inning with singles and moved up a notch on a sacrifice by right fielder Nicole Carter. Sophomore center fielder Krystal Marquez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Murray then tapped a grounder to first, but first baseman Jaclyn Rymer's throw went wide, allowing a pair of runs to score.

But again, the Matadors bounced right back, scoring six times in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-3 lead. Northridge then scored a single run in the third and three in the fourth to make it 11-3.

UCR starter Christin Songer fell to 9-9 with the loss, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs in 1.1 innings of work. Senior Sara Radabaugh came out of the pen to throw 2.2 innings of relief. Mercedes Lovato (13-10) got the win for Northridge, allowing one hit in 2.1 innings of relief.

Highlanders Lose Doubleheader, 8-2 & 10-2

(May 5, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders lost a Big West doubleheader to the host UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, 8-2 and 10-2 at Campus Diamond in Goleta Saturday.

The Gauchos improved to 28-19 overall and 5-9 in the Big West. UCR is now 16-33 and 0-14.

In the opener, the Highlanders scored first as junior second baseman April Murray doubled home senior right fielder Jennifer Thompson in the second inning. However, UCSB came back with three in the second on a three run homer by Liz Walters. It was the first of three homers in three innings for the Gauchos, who built a 5-1 lead by the fourth inning. UCR got a run back on a RBI single by freshman DP Marissa Alvidrez that scored Murray to make it 5-2. However, the Gauchos added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to make the final score 8-2.

Senior Sara Radabaugh (0-9) took the loss, throwing four innings and allowing five earned runs on six hits. UCSB starter Jennifer Davis threw a complete game, allowing six hits and two earned runs, improving to 11-12. Murray had two hits and a walk out of the lead-off spot for the Highlanders.

In game two, the Gauchos scored first on a second inning unearned run, but UCR tied the game in the third on an RBI single by Murray in the third and then took the lead in the fourth on an RBI double by freshman third baseman Lauren Bauer that scored Thompson to make it 2-1.

But things got bad for UCR as the Gauchos scored three runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to post the mercy-rule 10-2 win. Sophomore starter Stephanie Marshall (7-10) took the loss, allowing 12 hits and 10 runs, seven earned in 5.2 innings of work. Davis got the win for the Gauchos in relief, improving to 12-12.

Highlanders' Bats Quiet in 2-0 Loss to Gauchos

(May 6, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders fell in a shutout to the host UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, 2-0, in Goleta Sunday.

The Gauchos improved to 29-19 overall and 6-9 in the Big West. UCR is now 16-34 and 0-15.

UCSB starter Jennifer Davis (13-12) led the Gauchos to their first sweep of the year, throwing a complete seven innings allowing no runs on four hits while walking two and striking out five.

Highlander junior starter Christin Songer (9-10) took the loss in the circle after pitching a complete six innings allowing two earned runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Four Highlanders each tallied a hit in the loss including junior first baseman Danria Iolamo who was 1-for-2 with a double and a walk, senior catcher Rachel Crawford also went 1-for-2 with a walk.

Highlanders Lose Doubleheader to Titans

(May 11, 2007) - The Cal State Fullerton Titans and host UC Riverside Highlanders played two vastly different games Friday, one a slugfest, the other a pitchers' duel. But the Titans prevailed in both games of the Big West doubleheader at Amy S. Harrison Field in Riverside, winning 15-7 and 2-0.

The Titans are now 33-20, 12-5 in the Big West. UCR is now 16-36 and 0-17.

In the opener the Titans scored three times in the second, twice in the fourth and four times in the fifth to take a 9-0 lead. Faced with the prospect of suffering a mercy-rule loss, UCR bounced back with one of their biggest offensive onslaughts of the season, scoring six times in the bottom of the fifth to make it 9-6. The first run came in on a bases loaded throwing error by Titan shortstop Courtney Martinez on a grounder by junior second baseman April Murray. Martinez came to the plate on the fielder's choice, allowing the first run to score. Moments later freshman first baseman Marissa Alvidrez singled to score sophomore centerfielder Krystal Marquez with the second run. The third run came around on a fielder's choice grounder by senior right fielder Jennifer Thompson to make it 9-3. Freshman third baseman Lauren Bauer capped the scoring by blasting her ninth homer of the year, a towering drive to left that made it 9-6.

UCR scored a single run in the bottom of the sixth on a bases loaded walk to Alvidrez to make the score 9-7, but Fullerton rallied in the top of the seventh, tallying six runs to make the final margin 15-7.

The Titans had 17 hits in the win, including a 5-for-5 performance by catcher Kiki Munoz, who scored three times. DP Sheila Holguin was 3-for-3 with three runs scored. UCR had six hits in the game. UCR junior starter Christin Songer fell to 9-11 with the loss, allowing 9 hits and eight runs in four innings of work. The Titans Brooke Weekley (9-4) got the win with five innings of five hit work, allowing six runs but only one earned. Candice Baker earned her fourth save with two innings of work, walking four but striking out six. The game took 2 hours and 58 minutes to play.

In game two the Titans scored a pair of runs in the second inning on a two-run double by third baseman Crystal Vieyra, which was all that Titan starter Jessica Doucette and reliever Baker needed. Doucette allowed just one hit in five innings of work, a single to senior catcher Rachael Crawford in the second inning, and Baker closed it out with two innings of hitless work for her fifth save. UCR starter Stephanie Marshall took the loss (7-11), despite throwing one of her best games of the season, allowing eight hits and two runs. Doucette improved to 7-5 with the win, and Baker earned her fifth save.

Highlanders Fall in Season Finale to Fullerton, 4-1

(May 12, 2007) - The UC Riverside Highlanders lost to Cal State Fullerton, 4-1, in their Big West season finale at Amy S. Harrison Field Saturday afternoon.

Cal State Fullerton jumped out in front in the first inning, when Jessica Doucette hit the first pitch of the game from Highlander senior starter Sara Radabaugh for a homer. The Titans would later add two more runs in the inning off of an RBI single from Lauren Lupinetti and RBI ground out by Katie Gollhardt to take a 3-0 lead.

CS Fullerton pushed a run across in the third with a RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Jenna Wheeler for 4-0 lead. The Highlanders mounted a rally in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 4-1 after loading the bases. UCR scored one run on senior first baseman Jenny Thompson’s sacrifice fly to deep center, but freshman third baseman Lauren Bauer grounded out to end the Highlander threat.

The Highlanders rallied in their half of the seventh with pinch-hitters, Katie Curtis and Cassie Greenawalt each recording singles to lead off the inning. Doucette, who had started it the circle for the Titans, was able to prevent any runs coming across getting a double play and a ground out to end the game.

Radabaugh suffered the loss allowing four earned runs and striking out two in four innings to drop to 0-10. Doucette improved to 8-5 after throwing all seven innings, striking out four, and allowing only one unearned run.

The loss ends the Highlander’s season with a record of 16-37, 0-18 Big West, and the Titans improve to 34-20, 13-5 Big West.

Adgar, Alvidrez Recognized by Big West Coaches

(May 16, 2007) - Sophomore outfielder Tricia Adgar was named second team All-Big West and freshman designated player Marissa Alvidrez was named Big West Honorable Mention as both a utility player and designated player, the conference announced Tuesday evening.

Adgar (Alameda, CA), moved into the starting line-up when injuries knocked three starters out of the Highlanders outfield. She hit .316 on the season with a homer and seven RBI. In conference, she hit .350 with five runs scored.

"Tricia took advantage of the opportunity presented to her and really ran with it," Head Coach Connie Miner said.

Alvidrez (Bakersfield, CA) had an outstanding season at the plate for the Highlanders. She finished 10th in the conference in hitting at .338, eighth in slugging percentage at .527, seventh in runs batted in with 34, eighth in doubles with 10, and ninth in homers with seven. In conference play, Alvidrez was second on the team with a .239 average. Her seven RBI were second while her six doubles were the best during the Big West campaign.

"Marissa's bat was tremendous, and her appearance in the top-10 categories confirms that," Miner said.

The Highlanders finished the season at 16-37 overall and seventh in the very competitive Big West. The conference sent five of their seven teams to the NCAA Tournament, tying for the third highest total of bids among conferences.

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