Beach Softball Grabs Two On The Road At UC Riverside

Friday, March 13

Riverside, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

15-11, 3-1

UC Riverside

3-15, 1-3

Long Beach State

UC Riverside

3/13/2026 5:47:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Long Beach State rolled to a game one win before holding on for a close game two victory.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Lina Apodaca had a monster game in the opener and Emily Dowden had two key hits in game two as Long Beach State picked up a pair of conference wins on the road at UC Riverside on Friday.

After two quick innings, Long Beach State (16-11, 4-1 Big West) broke through for a pair of runs in the third. Lina Apodaca's second hit of the game got the rally started, and then an error put runners on the corners. Weisbrook stole second to put two in scoring position, an important moment as a sacrifice fly and an infield single allowed both to score as the Beach took a 2-0 lead.

The Beach went right back to work in the fourth. After a leadoff single from Brooklyn Lee, Kali Su'e tripled down the line, and Apodaca's third hit of the day plated a fourth run as Long Beach State opened up a 4-0 lead.

Continuing to threaten, Long Beach State scored an insurance run in each of the sixth and seventh innings, as Apodaca picked up her fourth hit of the game, Weisbrook her third, and Sepulveda a total of three RBIs.

Isabella Alonso improved to 8-3 on the year with a season-high five strikeouts, while Jailynn Banda and Pricilla Ramirez finished off the contest.

The top of the order staked Long Beach State to an early lead in the first inning of game two. Weisbrook was hit, with Iniguez following with a single, and a walk loaded the bases for Sepulveda. The freshman came through again with a sacrifice fly, and then a double from Emily Dowden and a single from Audree Mendoza made the score 4-0 before UC Riverside (3-7, 1-4 Big West) came to bat.

Junior Kate Barnett made her first appearance of the season, and after an out, two Highlander hits put two on in front of catcher Kayla Penor, who hit a three-run home run to put the Highlanders right back into the contest.

Barnett worked the second as well, and turned the ball over to Lindsey Cowans who stilled the Highlander bats. The Beach added an insurance run in the fifth, as Sepulveda and Dowden hit back-to-back two-out doubles to add one more, making the score 5-3.

That run would be important as Penor doubled and scored on a pinch-hit single from Jackie Alday, but Ramirez picked up a key out to strand Alday at third, leaving the Beach in front 5-4. Ramirez then set the Highlanders down in order to finish off the save in the seventh.

Long Beach State will try to finish off the road sweep with another win from Riverside on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.