In the first game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Final Four, the University of Redlands baseball team faltered on the road against the Poets of Whittier College, 1-2.  With both Redlands and Whittier throwing their aces on Wednesday, runs were hard to come by, resulting in the tough one-run defeat for the Bulldogs.

After surrendering a run to the Poets in the bottom half of the second inning, the Bulldogs responded with a run of their own in the top of the third.

Freshman third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Topeka, KS) led off the third frame with a single up the middle.  Sophomore shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) followed that up with a base knock of his own, this one going through the left side.  Redlands senior left-fielder Jason Henning (Redlands, CA) continued the momentum with a bunt single, loading the bases for the Maroon and Gray.  Junior center-fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) then got the U of R on the board when he hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Tumlinson. 

That would be the only run the Bulldogs would score during the inning, however, and after the Poets tacked another run on in the fourth, Redlands found itself behind by one run again.

The Maroon and Gray would get a number of opportunities during the final five innings and got runners into scoring positions, but did not get the timely hit it was looking for, resulting in the defeat.

Senior pitcher Eliot Smith (West Linn, OR) went six strong innings for the Bulldogs, scattering five hits and allowing two runs in the loss.  Fellow senior pitcher Kyle Hart (Burbank, CA) came in to relieve Smith for the seventh frame, allowing no hits and no runs, while sophomore hurler Josh Makler (Portland, OR) pitched the eighth inning for Redlands, surrendering just one hit and no runs.

At the dish for the U of R, Dresner registered a big day, going 3-for-5, while Tumlinson tallied two hits and scored the lone Bulldog run.  Henning and sophomore catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) recorded the other two hits for Redlands on the day.

For the Poets, Thomas Hemington went 7.1 innings on the mound, giving up six hits and one earned run in the win.

Redlands (19-15, 15-10) travels to Chapman University on Saturday, April 27 for another SCIAC Final Four contest.  First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.