• About the game: 8 p.m. today, Riverside Sports Center, Riverside, Calif.

• Starting pitchers: Texas Tech, LHP Robbie Kilcrease (1-0, 4.09 ERA); UC-Riverside, RHP Ryan Platt (1-0, 0.00)

• About the series: Texas Tech leads the all-time series with the Highlanders 2-1, including a split of a two-game midweek series last season. The first meeting between the schools came in 2001 at a tournament in San Diego where the Red Raiders won 17-6. Tech beat the Highlanders 5-4 and fell 8-6 in a series March 24-25 at Dan Law Field in 2008. The teams will play again on Thursday to open the Palm Springs (Calif.) Invitational.

• About the Red Raiders: Texas Tech (5-4) is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and has lost four of its last five games after being swept at Cal State-Northridge over the weekend. The Red Raiders lost by scores of 8-4 Friday, 7-3 Saturday and gave up two unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose 3-2 on Sunday … After scoring just nine runs in three games, the Red Raiders’ team batting average fell 28 points to .307. Tech hit just .247 in the series, and cleanup hitter Chris Richburg really struggled, going 0-for-11 to see his average drop from .450 to .290 … Despite three losses, the team’s ERA actually fell to 4.92. The good news from the weekend was the continued improvement of AJ Ramos just 10 months from reconstructive elbow surgery. Ramos has tossed seven scoreless innings in two appearances, scattering eight hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.

• About the Highlanders: UC-Riverside (6-2) is coming off a four-game series against the University of San Francisco in which the Highlanders took three. USF won the first game of the series before Riverside rallied to take three straight. Riverside also holds a midweek victory over No. 10 UCLA, 11-1 … The Highlanders are led by their pitching, which holds a collective 3.60 ERA. In its two losses, Riverside has allowed a total of 15 runs, but in its six wins has allowed just 18. Today’s starter, Ryan Platt, held UCLA to three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over six innings last Tuesday … Offensively the Highlanders are hitting just .275 but have been balanced with run production and consistent throughout the lineup with driving them in. Six players have scored at least five runs, and four players have six or more RBIs. Junior infielder Ryan Goetz is the top offensive weapon, hitting .300 with a home run and a team-leading eight RBIs.

Compiled by George Watson