The No. 11 University of Redlands baseball team's ninth-inning
rally fell short as the Bulldogs lost to Cal Lutheran University,
3-5, in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(SCIAC) game Saturday afternoon at The Yard in Redlands.
Trailing by three heading into the bottom of the ninth, the
Bulldogs faced the tall task of breaking up Robbie Selden's gem.
Selden, the Cal Lutheran starting pitcher, had allowed just two
runs prior to the final stanza and was well on his way toward
tossing his second complete game of the season.
Graduate student first baseman Matt Hughes (Westminster, CA)
ripped a one-out single up the middle, and freshman pinch runner
Ryan Buscemi (Tiburon, CA) took his place on the basepaths after
Hughes reached safely. The Kingsmen recorded the second out of the
inning with a fly to center, setting the table for Redlands'
valiant two-out offensive tear. Senior shortstop Zack Braband
(Alameda, CA) singled before senior centerfielder Will Wetmore
(Santa Cruz, CA) drew a walk to load the bags. With the bases
juiced, Cal Lutheran made a defensive substitution in left field
and also took out Selden in favor of its closer, Ian Durham. Durham
pegged junior leftfielder Brandon Owashi (San Diego, CA) with the
first pitch he threw, which plated Buscemi. Senior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR) nearly tied the score with a shot down the
rightfield line, but the ball sliced to the right into foul
territory. Johnson took a strike looking before holding off a low
pitch for ball one. Durham then handcuffed him with a pitch inside,
which effectively ended the ballgame on a strike looking.
The difference came in the second inning when the Kingsmen
pushed across four off six hits. J. Johnson stuffed the run column
for Redlands in the bottom of the second when he laced a
two-out single through the left side to bring in Braband.
Cal Lutheran scored once more in the eighth, but graduate
student designated hitter Brett Sandford's (Santa Barbara, CA)
double put the Bulldogs within striking distance in the home half
of the frame.
Sophomore pitcher Adam Byrd (Bullhead City, AZ) and senior
pitcher Jack Winters (Oradell, NJ) retired the side in the top of
the ninth.
Freshman pitcher Kyle Hart (Burbank, CA) dropped to 6-1 on the
season with the losing decision on the hill for the Bulldogs. Hart
worked 6 2/3 innings, yielding four runs on 12 hits and one walk
while striking out five. Sophomore pitcher Brock Jacobo (Yuma, AZ)
gave up one run on one hit through two-thirds of an inning before
Byrd took over in the middle of the eighth. Byrd allowed just one
hit over one full frame of duty, while Winters shut down the two
batters he faced in the ninth.
Selden nearly tossed a complete game for Cal Lutheran, going 8
2/3 innings. He threw 80 strikes in 124 pitches and struck out
seven. Selden also yielded three runs, two of which were earned, on
11 hits and two walks. As a result of his performance, Selden
picked up the win. Durham issued a free pass by means of a hit
batsman in the ninth but fanned the last batter to gain the
save.
Owashi went 3-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI to pace the
Bulldog attack. J. Johnson, Hughes and Braband all contributed
multi-hit efforts as well.
Despite going 5-for-5 with three doubles and a stolen base, K.C.
Judge did not cross the plate for Cal Lutheran.
Redlands (27-5, 19-4 SCIAC) finishes out its weekend tomorrow
afternoon in Eagle Rock when it takes on Occidental College in
SCIAC action. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
