RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball dropped the series to UC Riverside despite a late-inning rally Sunday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader at Riverside Sports Complex falling, 10-8.

EARLY ANTEATER LEAD
UC Irvine (4-4) found their bats first Sunday afternoon scoring within the first two batters as Jake Palmer would double and come home on Nathan Church's triple. The 'Eaters added a run in the second inning as Church was on the scene again singling home his second RBI for a 2-0 UCI lead.

HIGHLANDER HIJINX
UC Riverside (2-0) busted up the 'Eaters' early advantage with a pair of crooked innings. A single, hit by pitch, and a Taylor Juline single got the first run home. Ethan Payne whacked a triple to give the Highlanders as 3-2 lead, Payne would come home on a groundout to make it 4-2, UC Riverside.

After another single run put up by the Anteaters in the third, UCR got to work again started from an error by second baseman Justin Torres. The next three Highlanders singled to make it a 6-3 game and push starter Peter Van Loon from the contest. Reliever Cole van den Helder struggled to stop the bleeding walking the first hitter and then getting two outs, but a pair of singles adding to the five-run frame and put UCR up, 9-3, after three innings.

MAKING IT CLOSE
With the score now 10-4 in favor of UC Riverside, relievers Andre Antone and UCR's Eric Marrujo had kept the offense to a minimum until the seventh inning. Luke Spillane led off with a single and then came around on the first Division I home run by Justin Torres making it 10-6, UCR.

Jake Cosgrove singled and stood in scoring position with two outs as Thomas McCaffrey collected his first career RBI singling him in. After a pitching change, Caden Kendle would push McCaffrey across after reaching on an error, and the inning would end with UCI traliing just 10-8 now.

FINAL: UC RIVERSIDE 10, UC IRVINE 8
The 'Eaters got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but could not find any more offense dropping a series to the Highlanders for the first time since 2017. Peter Van Loon picks up his first loss as an Anteater now 1-1 this season. He went two innings as did each reliever Cole van den Helder, Andre Antone, and Gordon Ingebritson.

Antone and Ingebritson were the most effective each allowing a hit and walk while striking out two, for Antone the first two strikeouts of his career.

Marrujo, whom took over for starter Abbott Haffar, earned the win despite three earned runs in 2.2 innings. UCR had 13 hits including three from Dylan Orick. He and Ely Stuart each had two-RBI days in addition to Ethan Payne driving home three.

UCI had big offensive days from Palmer (2-for-3, two runs), Church (two extra-base hits, two RBIs), and Torres (two hits including two-run home run). One Anteater had a very successful collegiate debut in Thomas McCaffrey hitting ninth as the catcher. He had two singles, one drove in a run, and scored twice, all firsts in his career. The 'Eaters also stole four bases as a team. Church got his fourth of the season as part of a double steal. Palmer was the other half of that steal as he swiped two bases on the game.

GAME TWO COMING UP
The second game of the doubleheader is underway with Nick Pinto and former Anteater Jake Lachemann facing each other as the 'Eaters look to avoid the sweep.