Preview: UC Riverside at Cal State Fullerton

FULLERTON, Calif. (Interstat) — The Cal State Fullerton Titans will look to improve their position in the Big West Conference when they host the UC Riverside Highlanders in the opener of a three-game series Thursday at Goodwin Field.

First pitch is scheduled for the evening under cloudy skies with temperatures near 64 degrees.

The Titans (11-14) enter after a tough 6-5, 10-inning loss at Hawaii on Sunday. A bright spot in that defeat was the relief work of right-hander Jayden Harper, who is expected to be a key pitcher in this series. Harper tossed five hitless innings of relief, allowing two earned runs with four strikeouts. Over his last four appearances, spanning 17.1 innings, he has a 3.12 ERA with 12 strikeouts.

The Highlanders (8-19) are aiming to snap a three-series losing streak after dropping two of three to Cal Poly last weekend. They fell 12-8 in Sunday’s finale despite a strong day at the plate from outfielder Miles Scott. The player to watch went 3 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs in that contest. Scott is 7 for 21 (.333) with six RBIs over his last eight games.

Both teams have struggled for consistency this season. The Titans have lost five of their last seven games, while the Highlanders have dropped 10 of their last 13.

According to Interstat, the Titans are heavy favorites with an 80.7% probability to win. The service’s game simulator projects a narrow 5-4 victory for Cal State Fullerton.

The series continues Friday and Saturday at Goodwin Field.