University of Redlands baseball's junior rightfielder Nate Carlson (Portland, OR) blasted a three-run shot in the bottom of
the ninth of the second game in Saturday's Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader
against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges at The Yard, completing an
afternoon sweep. The Bulldogs won the front end, 7-1, before taking
the nightcap, 8-6.
Redlands fell, 8-13, in Friday's SCIAC opener, but the
Bulldogs rebounded on Saturday afternoon, counting on superb
pitching and timely hitting to trump the Stags.
Two consecutive hits helped Claremont-Mudd-Scripps find the
scoreboard in the top of the second. Senior shortstop Zack Braband
(Alameda, CA) answered in the bottom of the inning, singling to
right center to drive in sophomore designated hitter Jon Cavender
(Rancho Cucamonga, CA).
Redlands posted one run in the fourth before enjoying a three-run
fifth. Senior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR) kicked off the
frame with a double to right. After a flyout, Cavender laced
another shot into right, allowing J. Johnson to advance to third.
Carlson blasted a sacrifice fly to centerfield, bringing in J.
Johnson. Senior first baseman Michael Lessig (Fountain Hills, AZ)
launched a double in the ensuing at bat, which plated Cavender.
Finally, sophomore second baseman Chase Tucker (Poway, CA) drove in
Lessig to spell out the Bulldogs' run production for the
inning.
The Maroon and Gray would go on to score two more runs to ensure
the victory.
Freshman pitcher Kyle Hart (Burbank, CA) stole the show in the
first contest of the afternoon, going six innings on the mound. He
struck out six batters and allowed just one run in his first-ever
collegiate start.
After Hart's departure from the game, the bullpen took over.
Sophomore pitcher Josh Snyder (Denver, CO) and senior pitcher Jack Winters (Oradell, NJ) combined to surrender a mere two hits and no
runs over three innings.
J. Johnson and Braband powered the offense. J. Johnson went
3-for-4, which included two doubles. Braband batted a perfect
3-for-3 and accounted for one RBI.
The latter half of the doubleheader featured a showcase of
serviceable pitching and clutch hitting.
Both teams traded runs in the first before Redlands took a 2-1 lead
in the fourth. The Stags responded with a two-run fifth, but the
side was retired with two men left on base.
The Bulldogs knotted the tally in the fifth, and after a scoreless
sixth, the Stags regained the lead. Redlands pushed two across in
the eighth to set Winters up for a save situation.
Steve Dannaway lifted a Winters pitch over the centerfield wall
with one man on base, and the Stags reclaimed the advantage and
momentum. However, Winters forced a pop-up to the catcher and
fanned the final two batters to escape out of the inning with
minimal damage.
Max Rose, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps pitcher, struck out J. Johnson
before giving up a single to graduate student third baseman Brett Sandford (Santa Barbara, CA) in the ensuing at bat. Cavender kept
the inning alive with another single, finding a gap in the right
side of the infield. Finally, in just his 19th at bat as a Bulldog,
Carlson hammered a pitch over the leftfield wall to give Redlands
the walk-off win.
Junior pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) held his own on the mound,
going seven innings while striking out six. He gave up four runs,
three of which were earned.
Sophomore pitcher Brock Jacobo (Yuma, AZ) took over for an inning
and allowed just one hit while Winters earned the win after one
frame of service in the ninth.
Sandford accumulated a game-high three hits in five at bats,
scoring twice and batting in one run. Carlson offered the game-high
in RBI with four.
Redlands (4-1, 2-1 SCIAC) continues its SCIAC schedule on Friday,
Feb. 19, when it faces the University of La Verne at 2:30 p.m. in
Redlands.
