Amidst a talented six-team regional of the 2013 NCAA Division III Championships, the 18th-ranked University of Redlands softball team made the most of opportunity in Friday's opening game with a 3-0 win over sixth-ranked Linfield College (OR) for the Bulldogs' first victory against the Wildcats since the 2007 season.   

Redlands remains in the winners' half of the bracket and now faces No. 9 East Texas Baptist University, which downed fellow Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, by a score of 3-0 earlier today.  The Bulldogs retake the field at the University of Texas-Tyler on Saturday for an 11:30 a.m. showdown with the Tigers.

Against Linfield, the Maroon and Gray took advantage of three errors in the third inning to score the first run of the game.  After junior catcher Kristen Hooper (Riverside, CA) took second base on back-to-back miscues by the Linfield short stop, senior pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) moved her to third on a single to the left side.  During the Bulldogs' next at-bat, Uphold stole second and drew an errant throw, allowing Hooper to cross home plate.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth frame, Uphold stepped up with a dropping single to the short stop, plating freshman pinch-runner Addie Oeleis (Temecula, CA). 

Watch the play here.

On the subsequent play, junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) added another hit-by-pitch to her name while earning an RBI for the Bulldogs' 3-0 lead.  Clark brought home sophomore utility player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA), who had singled to center field earlier in the inning.

Linfield's best chance to score came in the sixth after a pair of singles and a wild pitch moved runners to second and third.  However, Uphold and the Bulldog defense came up big, recording a strikeout and a routine play at second to end the inning.

While scattering five hits, Uphold registered her eighth shutout and 24th victory of the season.  She threw 97 pitches and recorded 59 strikes in the process.  Redlands' defense provided great support for Uphold, making impressive plays and big outs throughout the game.

View the post-game interview of senior center-fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA), Uphold, and Head Coach Laurie Nevarez.

Fans may follow Saturday's action through live stats and video streaming, both of which are available through the UT-Tyler tournament page.