The UC Riverside baseball team scored the winning run on a walk-off walk to defeat Hawaii 7-6 Sunday at the Riverside (Calif.) Sports Complex.

With the score tied at 6, UCR’s Anthony McFarland doubled down the left-field line for his fourth hit of the game. McFarland went to third on Anthony Mata’s sacrifice. The Rainbow Warriors opted to intentionally walk pinch hitter Alfredo Capacete and catcher Nick Poss to fill the bases.

“Toward the end, that really was the only one (option) I felt we were left with,” UH coach Rich Hill said. “Leadoff double, executed that bunt. We could have pitched to Poss. But he was 3-for-3, and kind of wearing us out.”

Mason Grace, a catcher who was used as designated hitter on Sunday, had two swinging strikes and a weak foul ball. But he battled to a full count, then watched Connor Harrison’s 3-2 pitch miss the strike zone for the walk that enabled McFarland to come home with the winning run.

“Tip your hat to Riverside,” Hill said. “The team that deserved to win the game won the game.”

Cruz Barrios (1-1), who started Friday’s opener of the three-game series, pitched the final three innings Sunday to earn the victory.

The ’Bows appeared to be coasting after Stone Miyao drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 5-1 in the fourth. But Jared Quandt struck out for the third out, and for the second consecutive inning, the ’Bows stranded three.

“Their pitchers made their pitches,” Hill said.

The missed opportunities would prove costly as the Highlanders scored two in the fifth to close to 5-3 and three in the sixth to take a 6-5 lead.

The ’Bows tied it at 6 in the eighth when DallasJ Duarte scored on shortstop Mata’s error.

But the ’Bows missed a chance to take the lead — by inches — in the ninth. Pinch hitter Naighel Ali‘i Calderon hit a one-out single to center, then stole second. Zach Storbakken, pinch hitting for Aaron Ujimori, pulled a drive down the left-field line that was ruled to have landed just foul. Hill, who was coaching at third, thought the ball might have grazed the line.

“It was foul because the ump said it was foul,” Hill said of Eduardo Ruiz’s ruling. “It’s pass interference because the ref says it is.”

Storbakken struck out swinging on the next pitch, and catcher Poss’ throw to third baseman Dominic Martinez caught Calderon to complete the inning-ending, strikeout-throwout double play.

Alex Giroux, who threw 28 pitches in two innings of relief on Friday, warmed up Saturday, and started on Sunday. He allowed a run in three innings.

“We just wanted three innings out of him, and he gave them to us pretty good,” Hill said.

But freshman Harrison Bodendorf and Trevor Ichimura struggled, allowing a combined five runs — four of them earned — in 2 1/3 innings.

By winning Friday and today, the Highlanders (9-30 overall, 3-15 in the Big West) earned their first series victory of the season. The ’Bows fell to 21-15 and 10-8.

The ’Bows are halfway through this eight-game road trip. They play Pepperdine on Wednesday and then begin a three-game series against UC Irvine on Friday.