The No. 19 University of Redlands baseball team rebounded from
its loss against Rutgers University-Newark (NJ) from earlier in the
afternoon, defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 11-4, in
non-conference action at The Yard on Sunday.
With the win, Head Coach Scott Laverty earned his 200th victory at
the helm of the Bulldog baseball program and became just the third
coach in the team's history to accomplish that feat. Laverty
won his first game on Feb. 11, 2000 by a 13-1 score against
Whittier College. Jeff Tape '00 earned the winning decision
on the mound in Laverty's first triumph as head coach. He
enjoyed his 100th win on March 12, 2006, when Redlands
defeated Rutgers-Newark, 9-1, in the first game of a
doubleheader.
Both teams scored early as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps posted one run on
no hits and two errors in the first while Redlands responded with
an RBI single by senior infielder Tony Stutevoss (Portland, OR) in
the bottom of the inning.
Redlands took a 2-1 lead due to sloppy play by the Stag infield.
Stutevoss singled through the right side to start out the inning,
but he ended up advancing to second on an error by the pitcher on a
failed pickoff attempt and went home on an erroneous throw by the
first baseman.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps equaled the score in the sixth, but the
Bulldogs emerged victorious in the end due in large part to a
productive offense in the bottom in the inning.
Senior utility player Will Wetmore (Santa Cruz, CA) doubled to
right field with one out, and senior catcher Brett Sandford (Santa
Barbara, CA) walked, giving the Bulldogs two men on board. Senior
pitcher/infielder Evan Dunn (Portland, OR) grounded out and
advanced the two runners, giving Redlands what looked like a dreary
situation with two outs. The scoring started when junior shortstop
Zack Braband (Alameda, CA) plated Sandford and Dunn with a double
to right center, and Braband advanced to third on a passed ball in
the ensuing at bat. Senior outfielder/catcher Kyle Rizzo (Redlands,
CA) brought in Braband with a single through the right side and
then stole second while Stutevoss was at bat. Stutevoss singled to
third, which moved Rizzo over, and he lucked out with a botched
catch in a steal attempt. Junior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR)
cleared the bases with a single to centerfield, and senior
outfielder Cory Vane (Simi Valley, CA) continued the offensive
outburst with a single to third. Finally, senior outfielder Matt
Goldstein (Lincoln, CA) closed out the fireworks with an RBI triple
that scored Johnson and Vane.
The Stags scored once more in the top of the seventh, but the
Bulldogs one-upped their opponent with two runs in the bottom of
the inning. Dunn reached on an error by the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
shortstop and eventually stole second and third before scoring on a
passed ball. Rizzo, who walked after Dunn stole second, came home
via Stutevoss in the following at bat.
Rizzo scored an impressive three runs on one hit and two walks and
notched one RBI. Batting a solid 4-for-5, Stutevoss fortified the
offense with two runs and two RBI. Vane stretched his hitting
streak to 13 consecutive games with a 2-for-5 showing while Braband
also recorded a multi-hit game.
Junior pitcher/infielder Michael Lessig (Fountain Hills, AZ)
pitched solidly for seven full innings, allowing just one earned
run while striking out seven. Senior pitcher Kevin Bissell (Orange,
CA) and sophomore pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) held the lead
in relief, combining for one strikeout and one surrendered earned
run. The Stags' Kyle Shipley shouldered the loss.
Redlands (15-6) continues on with Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play on Friday when it
hosts red-hot Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 3 p.m.
