Senior starting pitcher Adam Byrd (Bullhead City, AZ) and junior first baseman/relief pitcher Eliot Smith (West Linn, OR) headlined the University of Redlands baseball team's outing on Saturday, helping the squad to two key victories over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent Whittier College.

Smith came up clutch in a 3-2 game-one victory, while Byrd tossed another complete-game gem en route to a 5-1 triumph in the nightcap.

Redlands struggled to create any offensive momentum in the first contest, as the Maroon and Gray notched only five base-knocks over the first eight frames.

The club finally put it all together when it counted most in the top of the ninth inning. Senior left fielder Trenton Lively (La Verne, CA) stroked a two-out, two-strike double into the left-center gap, giving the U of R a fighting chance.  Rookie third baseman Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) brought home Lively on the next at-bat with a lining RBI-single into right field.

Smith put the Bulldogs up by one when he launched a towering two-run blast over the high right-field wall, sending the team into a frenzied celebration. Smith then traded his first baseman glove for his pitching leather and shut down the Poets in the final inning for his second save of the year.

Starting on the mound for UR, junior Paul Dippel (East Granby, CT) put in a solid showing by tossing 7.1 innings in the no-decision.  Dippel gave up two runs on five hits with one walk while fanning four Poets. Senior Josh Snyder (Denver, CO) came out of the pen, chucking a hitless two-thirds of an inning to pick up the win.

Byrd pitched well in the doubleheader's nightcap, working an impressive one-run complete-game outing. Throughout the contest, the veteran southpaw scattered six hits, including all singles, while allowing two walks and tallying three strikeouts. Byrd has not lost a game since his opening start against No. 2 Chapman University on February 11.    

At the dish, sophomore center fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) registered a 2-for-5 performance, racking up two doubles and two runs scored.   In addition, freshman right fielder Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) and Lively grabbed two RBI apiece.

In one of his few starts at the three-bag, senior Jon Cavender (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) also added some punch to the lineup with a double and a run scored.

Redlands (13-11, 7-8) faces off against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens on Friday in Claremont before returning to The Yard on Saturday for a doubleheader. Friday's game gets underway at 3 p.m. while the teams take the field at 11 a.m. on Saturday.