The No. 12 University of Redlands softball team lost in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action for the first time this season, falling to rival and 18th-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Friday by scores of 6-7 and 3-9.

The Athenas jumped out to an early lead in the opener, pushing across two runs in the top of the first inning.

After freshman right fielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) connected on an RBI-single, sophomore center fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) followed suit by crushing her fifth long ball of the season to make it a 3-2 ballgame after one.

The teams exchanged two scoreless innings before the Bulldogs tacked on another score in the fourth inning.

However, CMS fought back in the top of the fifth, crossing the diamond on three occasions to nab a 5-4 lead.

The Athenas extended their lead by recording runs in the sixth and seventh to hold a 7-4 advantage with only one more at-bat remaining for the Bulldogs.

Redlands rallied back in the bottom of the seventh for two runs as senior third baseman Aleisha Martinez (Escondido, CA) and junior catcher Kai Masutani (Honolulu, HI) contributed RBI. But it wasn't enough to overtake CMS.

Despite striking out seven, freshman hurler Gabrielle Sciuto (Poway, CA) recorded the loss after 5.2 innings of work in which she gave up six hits and six runs.

The Bulldog bats rattled off three more hits than their counterparts but left 10 runners on base.

During the nightcap, Redlands got off to another rough start, allowing CMS to post seven first-inning runs. Unfortunately, the Maroon and Gray squad never recovered, resulting in its fourth loss in a row.

Freshman reliever Rachel Hachadorian (San Diego, CA) provided a stellar effort out of the bullpen, tossing 6.2 innings with four strikeouts.

Martinez provided a bright spot on offense with a two-RBI triple in the fifth inning. Overall, she led the Bulldogs by going 6-for-8 with three RBI on the day.

Less than 24 hours later, Redlands (21-5, 10-2 SCIAC) heads to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for Saturday's SCIAC doubleheader at 12 noon.