The No. 20 University of Redlands softball team survived two close games against Occidental College on Saturday, prevailing by one run in each game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader.  The Bulldogs posted a 2-1 effort in 10 innings during the opener and then held off a late push by the Tigers in the nightcap, winning by a score of 7-6.

In a classic pitchers' duel, neither team found its offensive rhythm in the first game, leading to nine scoreless innings.  During the 10th, the international tiebreaker went into effect, placing a runner on second to start the frame.

Junior catcher Kristen Hooper (Riverside, CA) led off by recording the Bulldogs' only multi-bag hit of the game with a double to plate freshman shortstop AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA), who started off on second base.  After junior right-fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA) moved Hooper over on a sacrifice bunt, junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) stepped up with a long sacrifice fly to left field, scoring her teammate for the 2-0 lead.

However, Occidental successfully moved one around the bases on a sacrifice bunt and single to left field.  With runners on first and second, senior pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) fanned the next two Tigers for Redlands' 2-1 victory. 

She threw all 10 innings of the first game, striking out a career-high 13 while scattering eight hits.

Oxy's Brittany Vacura went the distance as well, giving up five hits and striking out seven.

During the second contest, both teams produced more hits and scored more runs, leading to the Maroon and Gray's 7-6 victory.

After each squad recorded a run in the first inning, Redlands rattled off a three-spot in only to see the Tigers answer with two runs of their own.  Highlighting the third-inning output, last week's SCIAC Female Athlete of the Week, sophomore utility player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA), connected on a home run to plate two.

Leading by a score of 4-3, the Bulldogs tacked on three more runs over the next two innings.  J. Carrasco's triple and Sharp's infield single accounted for the Maroon and Gray's RBI in the fourth frame.

However, Oxy refused to back down, rallying for three runs in the sixth to make things interesting.

The Bulldogs prevailed with junior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) returning to the game to finish out the final inning, forcing a pair of infield defensive plays and a fly-out.

She threw a total of 6.2 innings for the Maroon and Gray, dispersing nine hits, striking out two, and giving up just one earned run in the win.

Offensively, Sharp delivered with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, bringing home four and scoring one.  J. Carrasco was 3-for-3 for three runs, while senior center-fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) connected on three hits.  Three other Bulldogs recorded two-hit performances in the win.

Redlands (7-1, 4-0 SCIAC) heads to Costa Mesa on Wednesday, Feb. 27, for a make-up doubleheader against non-conference foe Vanguard University.  The original contest was rained out on Jan. 26.  Wednesday's first pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.