Senior pitcher Nolan Nicholson won his 10th game of the season as the University of Redlands baseball team emerged victorious from a back-and-forth battle against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 15-10, in Claremont on Friday.

The Bulldogs had defeated the Stags once this season prior to the three-game Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) set between the two as the Maroon and Gray took an 11-4 win in an errors-ridden game on March 22.

Redlands chalked up a run early as senior leftfielder Kyle Rizzo used his speed to move from first to third on a single by senior third baseman Tony Stutevoss (Portland, OR) in the first inning, and he crossed the plate following a sacrifice fly. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps responded in the second with two doubles, which tied the game at one apiece, and took the lead with a three-run third.

After reaching on a throwing error by the second baseman and advancing to second base, senior rightfielder Corey Vane (Simi Valley, CA) motored home on a single by senior centerfielder Jordan Snider (Temecula, CA), narrowing the margin to 2-4 in the top of the fourth.

Nicholson retired the side in the bottom of the inning, and Vane knotted the contest at four in the top of the fifth with a two-run single that scored Stutevoss and Rizzo.

The Stags recaptured the lead in the bottom of the inning with one run on two hits, but junior shortstop Zack Braband (Alameda, CA) took advantage of an erroneous throw by the shortstop in the ensuing frame and crossed after a Stutevoss single.

Continuing on with his solid outing on the mound, Nicholson took care of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps lineup in short order in the sixth, setting the Maroon and Gray up for a one-run seventh.

The Bulldogs' lead was short-lived, however, as the Stags pushed one across in the bottom of the inning, but Redlands capitalized on an eighth inning riddled by errors as the team scored six runs on four hits and three miscues by the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defense. Braband, Stutevoss, junior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR), Vane, sophomore pinch runner/designated hitter Brandon Owashi (San Diego, CA) and senior first baseman Matt Goldstein (Lincoln, CA) all touched home plate during the frame.

Senior pitcher Kevin Bissell (Orange, CA) relieved Nicholson after he gave up a single in the eighth, and Steve Dannaway blasted a three-run home run later in the inning to pull the Stags within two. After the homer, sophomore pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) entered the game and recorded the inning's final two outs.

A three-run jack by Owashi in the top of the ninth put the score at its eventual final, 15-10, and D. Johnson successfully closed out the game with two strikeouts and a groundout in the bottom of the ninth.

Nicholson tossed seven full innings on the hill for the Bulldogs and allowed eight runs, six of which were earned, on nine hits. For the 10th time this season, D. Johnson notched a save as he retired five of the six batters he faced.

The Maroon and Gray received solid offensive output from a number of batters as J. Johnson, Stutevoss, Rizzo and Snider all offered two hits.

Owashi, who originally entered the game as a pinch runner, compiled a team-high three RBI on one hit.

Redlands (24-14, 13-6 SCIAC) rounds out its season tomorrow with a Senior Day doubleheader against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The first game is set to start at 11 a.m., and the Senior Day ceremonies are scheduled to commence 20 minutes following the end of the first contest.