The No. 20 University of Redlands softball team belted out 23 hits and scored 22 runs en route to a pair of five-inning victories over the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opener.  After a six-run effort in the first inning of game one, the Bulldogs cruised to a 13-0 triumph behind the pitching combination of senior Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) and sophomore utility player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA).  The Maroon and Gray came on strong late in the night cap, scoring four runs in the fourth and fifth innings to grab the 9-1 win.  Sharp and senior center-fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) stepped up offensively, joining forces for six hits and seven RBI in the second game.

The Sagehens' best scoring opportunity came in the first inning when they connected on two of their three hits for the game.  But the Bulldogs' stellar defense provided great support for Uphold in the circle, forcing two groundouts to finish the frame.

In the subsequent half inning, the Maroon and Gray changed the momentum in their favor by rattling off six runs to secure an early lead against Pomona-Pitzer.  Heads-up plays combined with six hits and two hits-by-pitch created offensive opportunities for the reigning SCIAC champions.  Among the highlights, Sharp doubled to left center, plating Beeman and freshman outfielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA), who had beat out the throws on their infield hits.  In addition, junior outfielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA) connected on an RBI-single, as did Rose in her second plate appearance of the inning.

After scoring one run on an error in the third, the Maroon and Gray uncorked another six-run performance in the fourth.  This time, freshman catcher Dani Santos (West Covina, CA) highlighted the effort with a double to left center, which plated freshman short stop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) and freshman first baseman Tori Santos (West Covina, CA), who got on a double and a single, respectively.  In addition, the Bulldogs benefitted from multiple wild pitches from the Sagehens' relief pitcher.

While scattering just two hits in the first inning, Uphold threw three innings of shutout ball for the Bulldogs.  She fanned four before Sharp took over in the circle to finish out the game in her first Redlands pitching appearance.

During the nightcap, junior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) dispersed just three hits in five innings of work en route to her second win of the season.

Offensively, the Bulldogs put up one in the first before the Sagehens answered in the top of the second frame.

Neither team successfully pushed any across until a costly Pomona-Pitzer error allowed Redlands to score four in the fourth.  With two outs, Rose reached on a fielding error by the second baseman, which inspired a two-RBI triple by Beeman and Sharp's first home run of her Bulldog career, which plated two runs. 

Hooper retired the side in the top of the fifth before the Bulldogs looked to Beeman and Sharp to score four more for the shortened-contest victory.  With two outs, Beeman crushed a single up the middle for an RBI before Sharp followed suit with a long single, which plated Rose and junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA). 

Watch her hit here.

After a pitching change by the visitors, Beeman crossed home on a wild pitch to end the game with the eight-run advantage.

Redlands (5-1, 2-0 SCIAC) continues its defense of eight-straight conference titles on Sat., Feb. 23, when it travels to Occidental College for a 12 noon doubleheader against the Tigers.