The No. 25 University of Redlands softball team nabbed at least a share of the 2011 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship by sweeping the University of La Verne in an important twin bill on Saturday. The Bulldogs rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh to capture the 5-2 victory in game one and then staved off a late push by the Leopards en route to an 11-8 win in the nightcap.

During the opener, Redlands jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, which included freshman right fielder Amanda Lievanos' (Anaheim, CA) ninth home run of the season.

However, La Verne eventually knotted the score with a two-spot in the fifth.

The seventh inning saw the Bulldogs control their own fate by pushing across three runs. After taking advantage of a Leopard miscue, Redlands scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman center fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA). With runners on second and third, sophomore pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) helped herself by crushing a two-RBI double to secure the lead.

From the circle, Uphold finished the job by retiring the side for her 16th victory of the season. She scattered seven hits and fanned two in a complete-game performance.

Carrasco and sophomore left fielder Kirsten Milliner (Torrance, CA) led the offense with two hits apiece.

Compared to the opener, the nightcap included nearly twice as many hits, with five Bulldogs registering a multi-knock performance.  In addition, the game saw more than double the runs.  

Although the Leopards jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first inning, the Bulldogs rallied to even the score over the course of the subsequent two frames.

Redlands broke the tie with a six-run explosion in the fourth, highlighted by senior first baseman Lizett Casillas (Pomona, CA) and senior third baseman Aleisha Martinez (Escondido, CA) each supplying two-RBI hits.  They each finished with three RBI to lead the Bulldogs.

After the teams traded single scores through the sixth, Redlands tacked on an insurance run in the seventh, making it 11-4 with three outs to go.

However, the Leopards were far from finished as they rallied to cross the diamond on four occasions in the final stanza.

Uphold entered the game to shut down La Verne's comeback efforts. She pitched just two-thirds of an inning but held the Leopards scoreless at a critical juncture of the game.

Freshman pitcher Gabrielle Sciuto (Poway, CA) captured the win from the circle after allowing four runs in 5.1 innings of work. She dispersed six hits and fanned six batters.

With the doubleheader sweep, Redlands (31-9, 18-5 SCIAC) clinches at least a share of the SCIAC championship, marking the program's seventh title in a row and eighth overall. Although the Bulldogs have completed their regular-season schedule, they anticipate the outcome of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and Whittier College twin bill, which takes place on April 23. A CMS sweep forces a tie for the title while anything else gives the outright championship to the Bulldogs.

Regardless of the results, Redlands next competes in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament on April 29-30. The highest seed serves as the host of all games during this double-elimination event.