The No. 23 University of Redlands baseball team defeated
Whittier College, 16-2, in a Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game Friday afternoon at Memorial Field
in Whittier.
Whittier's pitchers struggled against a potent Bulldog lineup,
as the Maroon and Gray tapped the Poet hurlers for 16 runs off 24
hits. The Redlands pitching staff held Whittier's order in check,
yielding two runs off eight hits.
Senior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR) broke out the lumber
early on in the first, connecting on the first pitch he faced with
one man on. He lifted the ball over the centerfield wall to give
Redlands the 2-0 advantage. Junior rightfielder Nate Carlson
(Portland, OR) and sophomore second baseman Chase Tucker (Poway,
CA) whacked back-to-back RBI singles later on in the frame, pushing
across graduate student designated hitter Brett Sandford (Santa
Barbara, CA) and graduate student first baseman Matt Hughes
(Westminster, CA), respectively.
Using his trademark speed, junior leftfielder Brandon Owashi
(San Diego, CA) came home on a passed ball in the second to move
the lead to five. Redlands then plated four in the third to gain a
commanding 9-0 edge.
Senior centerfielder Will Wetmore (Santa Cruz, CA) stroked his
second homer of the season in the fourth when he blasted a two-run
shot over the leftfield fence, while Tucker drove in Johnson in the
fifth by means of a sacrifice fly.
Whittier held the Bulldog bats at bay in the sixth, seventh and
eighth before Redlands staked itself to a 16-0 lead with a four-run
ninth. The Poets scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to erase
the shutout bid.
On the hill for the Bulldogs, senior pitcher Michael Lessig
(Fountain Hills, AZ) received the start and threw seven scoreless
frames, scattering six hits while striking out eight. Lessig was
credited with the win and now moves to 6-1 on the year. Sophomore
pitchers Jeff Cashmer (Cherry Valley, CA) and Mike Massari
(Palmdale, CA) relieved Lessig and tossed the eighth and ninth,
respectively. Cashmer retired the side, while Massari surrendered
two runs off two hits.
Whittier used six different pitchers, but Ryan Schwinn was
tagged with the loss after yielding the first four runs of the
contest. Schwinn lasted just one inning.
Owashi, Johnson, Hughes and senior shortstop Zack Braband
(Alameda, CA) each compiled three hits in the winning effort, while
Reed Tuttle and David Tucci paced the Poet attack with 2-for-2
outings at the plate.
With the victory, the Bulldogs have now won 17 of their last 18
contests and are currently riding a seven-game win streak. The
Maroon and Gray carries a No. 23 national ranking in the
D3baseball.com Top-25 Poll and a No. 9 national ranking in the
American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Collegiate
Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division III Top-30 Poll.
Redlands (22-3, 14-2 SCIAC) hosts Whittier tomorrow afternoon in
a SCIAC doubleheader at The Yard. The first pitch is scheduled for
11 a.m.
