The No. 21 University of Redlands baseball team recorded its fifth consecutive victory on Sunday with a come-from-behind showing against the University of La Verne Leopards in an important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown. Despite struggling on defense, the Maroon and Gray mustered a four-run explosion in the eighth inning to secure the 7-6 win.

With the victory, Redlands sits two games ahead with four to play in the race for the conference championship during the 100th season of Bulldog baseball. La Verne sits in second place, with Cal Lutheran University, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges closely trailing.

After a rough start on Friday, senior pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) bounced back for the Bulldogs by picking up the win in four innings of relief. On Sunday, he surrendered only one run on one hit and a walk while fanning four Leopard hitters. The workhorse of the staff now leads the conference in victories (10) and strikeouts (75).

At the plate for the Bulldogs, senior left fielder and lead-off hitter Brandon Owashi (San Diego, CA) posted a team-high three-hit performance. This marked Owashi's second consecutive three-hit game as the veteran provided a batting average of .466 over the weekend.

Junior shortstop Chase Tucker (Poway, CA) and junior first baseman Jon Cavender (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) stepped up for the Maroon and Gray by supplying five out of the team's six RBI while scoring three runs.

Continuing to climb the conference leader board, sophomore third baseman Jason Henning (Redlands, CA) now ranks fifth among the SCIAC with a .384 average, including a 2-for-3 performance in yesterday's contest.

During their five-game winning streak, the Bulldogs have out-scored their opponents, 47-25.

With an 8-2 record in its last 10 outings, Redlands also has caught a flare for the dramatic by clinching three of their last four victories with late-inning come-backs.

Redlands (25-8, 19-5) looks forward to hosting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps s on Saturday at 3 p.m. as part of a special Bulldog Baseball Centennial Celebration. The celebration begins with a buffet luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on the field adjacent to The Yard. A special pre-game ceremony that will include a parade of Bulldog baseball alumni and special recognition of former head coach Paul Taylor follows the lunch. Reservations are required.