After being rained-out on Saturday, the No. 22 University of Redlands softball team made the trek to Thousand Oaks to face the Regals of Cal Lutheran University in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader on Sunday. While pounding out 33 hits and scoring 31 runs, the Bulldogs earned solid wins of 15-7 and 16-7 to remain undefeated in conference after two series.
During the first inning, Redlands pushed across three runs on individual RBI to initiate the scoring.
However, Cal Lu responded with a grand slam in the bottom of the inning to take a one-run lead.
The Bulldogs quickly tied it up in the top of the second when sophomore center field Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) connected on an RBI-single to score junior second baseman Molly Duran (Corona, CA) from third base.
The Regals continued to fight back, recording their second dinger of the day, which scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Redlands answered with authority in the top of the fifth, erupting for eight runs to take a lead it would not relinquish. Highlighting this explosion, senior third baseman Aleisha Martinez (Encinitas, CA) uncorked a grand slam, while freshman right fielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) launched a home run to deep center for three scores.
Cal Lu rallied for one more run in the bottom of the fifth, but the Bulldogs kept the game out of reach when senior first baseman Lizett Casillas (Pomona, CA) blasted a three-run double to left field in the top of the seventh.
Sophomore pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) earned her fourth win of the season from the circle, fanning two batters and scattering five hits in Sunday's complete game.
Lievanos, Casillas, and Martinez led the Bulldogs with four RBI apiece.
The second game of the twin bill saw 20 hits that resulted in 16 runs for the Bulldogs. After a quick score in the opening inning, Redlands rallied for a three-run performance in the third. With the bases loaded, Beeman took a hit by pitch to score freshman left fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA). Casillas then ripped a long double to bring Lievanos and sophomore designated player Kirsten Milliner (Torrance, CA) across the plate.
Cal Lu looked to sophomore short stop Geri Jensen to rocket her third home run of the day in the bottom of the inning, making it a 4-3 ballgame in favor of the Bulldogs.
However, the Maroon and Gray stepped up with a six-run outing in the top of the fourth to earn a comfortable lead. Casillas highlighted this outburst with a three-run shot to right center for her second knock of the season.
After the teams traded runs, the Bulldogs connected on seven hits for five runs in the final inning.
Although Cal Lu rallied for two scores in the bottom half of the inning, Redlands remained securely ahead for the 16-7 victory.
Freshman hurler Gabrielle Sciuto (Poway, CA) earned her third win of the season with a complete-game effort. She sat down seven batters and allowed 10 hits.
During the second game, the Bulldogs' three-through-six batters accounted for the majority of the team's offense, recording 13 of the 15 RBI and 12 of the 16 hits. Among them, Casillas continued her strong contributions with a six-RBI game, which came on a 4-for-5 performance. Beeman added four RBI to her day's work, providing three hits on three at-bats for three runs as well.
Redlands (7-1, 4-0 SCIAC) takes on a busy week of action with four doubleheaders during Spring Break, beginning with NAIA opponent Concordia University on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. Live stats will be provided by the host Eagles.
