RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- The Portland Pilots led early and nearly rallied in the top of the ninth inning, but the UC Riverside Highlanders held on for a 9-7 win in the series finale played on Sunday afternoon at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Pilots now return to The Bluff for their 2015 home opener on Tuesday against Seattle.
 
Trailing 9-6 heading into the final frame against the Highlanders (4-0), the Pilots (0-4) got their first two hitters of the inning on base, courtesy a double by Cody Lenahan and an infield single from Brady Kerr. Turner Gill then cut the deficit to two by driving in Lenahan with a fielder's choice.
 
Following a fly out by Eric Sapp, Grant Taylor sent a single to left field that put the tying run on first base and brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate. But with two outs, UCR reliever Ryan Lillie struck out Geoff Lee to notch his first save of the season.
 
Portland's Michael Lucarelli had a nice day at the plate to cap a solid weekend. He went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two RBI's. Sapp and Pozos also had three hits each and Gill drove in three runs.
 
Lucarelli's first RBI came in the first when his triple brought home Lee. Kevin Wade then registered an RBI single and the Pilots had an early 2-0 lead. In the second, Lucarelli drew a walk with the bases loaded that forced in a run and handed Portland a 3-0 cushion.
 
But UC Riverside quickly tied the score with one run in the bottom of the second inning and two more in the third. Drake Zarate was responsible for the Highlanders' run in the second and he drove in the tying run in the third.
 
The score remained tied 3-3 until UCR plated four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Matthew Ellis led off the frame with a solo home run and Joe Chavez tallied an RBI double a few batters later. Robby Witt added a two-run single before the inning was over.
 
Portland responded with a three-run eighth inning to make it a one-run game. Kerr led off with a walk and Gill drilled a 2-2 pitch over the wall in right field for UP's first home run of the season. Later in the inning, Sapp stole home to pull the Pilots within a run, but UCR escaped further damage as Portland left a pair of runners stranded.
 
The Highlanders then added two insurance runs in the bottom half of the eighth that would prove to be the difference.
 
Portland used six pitchers on the day, while UCR countered with seven. UP starter Davis Tominaga (0-1) takes the loss after allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits. Antonio Gonzalez (1-0) was the Highlanders' fourth pitcher, and he takes the win despite surrendering two runs on two hits and two walks in his brief inning-and-a-third appearance.
 
Portland out-hit UC Riverside for the second straight game, this time claiming a 15-12 edge, but the Pilots left 12 runners stranded on the base paths.
 
First pitch at Joe Etzel Field for the Pilots and Redhawks is set for 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. This will be the first game played on the new artificial AstroTurf surface at Portland's home ballpark, which replaced the natural grass field during the off-season.