The No. 24 University of Redlands softball team captured two
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)
wins over visiting Occidental College on Saturday afternoon. Game
one saw a pitcher's battle in which the Bulldogs capitalized
on six hits and two Tiger errors en route to the 2-1 victory.
During the night cap, Redlands mustered 11 hits and enjoyed two big
innings, including a six-run conclusion in the bottom of the fifth
to end the game with an 11-2 final.
In the opener, the Bulldogs' offense struggled to string hits
together but finally put a run on the board in the bottom of the
fourth. Junior catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA) led off and
reached on an error and then moved to third on a well-placed
sacrifice bunt by senior second baseman Dory Baga (Aiea, HI).
Freshman third baseman Lindsay Henry (Lake Elsinore, CA) singled up
the middle to bring home Neumann for the team's first run of
the game.
The Bulldogs gained another score in the fifth inning as senior
left fielder Roxy Lambert (La Jolla, CA) singled up the middle with
one out. Freshman Kirstie Bender (Lakewood, CA) pinch ran for her
and quickly stole second. Freshman short stop Kai Masutani
(Honolulu, HI) doubled to plate Bender and then reached third on a
Tiger error.
After giving up a run in the top of the sixth, Redlands held on for
the win. Junior pitcher Olivia Ellis (Colfax, CA) completed the
game from the mound, scattering six hits while striking out
seven.
In game two, the Maroon and Gray scored early with Baga providing
an RBI-single to score Neumann, who led off with a double and then
stole third.
During the bottom of the third, Redlands' offense erupted
with four runs, which included a home run by Henry that plated two
runs.
Despite giving up single runs in the top of the fourth and fifth
innings, the Bulldogs took care of business in the bottom of the
fifth and scored six runs to finish the game early. Sophomore first
baseman Lizett Casillas (Pomona, CA) was hit by pitch and then Baga
singled up the middle to move Casillas over. Henry provided her
sixth hit of the day with a single to right field to load the
bases. Junior pitcher Amanda Doeppel (Monrovia, CA) doubled to
right center, scoring two runs. With Bender pinch running for
Doeppel, freshman right fielder Breanna Ruelas (Brawley, CA) plated
a run with her single to left field. Lambert stepped up to the
plate and knocked one out of the park for a walk-off home run and
three RBI, resulting in an 11-2 final.
Doeppel earned the win from the mound by displacing four hits and
striking out six.
Redlands (22-9, 15-3 SCIAC) remains atop the SCIAC standings with
six games to play. The Bulldogs head to Cal Lutheran University on
Sunday for a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon.
