In a pair of close games, the 17th-ranked University of Redlands softball team survived another day at the 2013 NCAA Division III Championships and heads into Sunday's action with a must-win rematch against No. 9 East Texas Baptist University.  The Bulldogs opened Saturday's competition with a difficult one-run loss to ETBU but then bounced back by ousting Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe and 13th-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in a 2-0 decision over the Athenas.

The Bulldogs got on the board early, scoring two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first against CMS.  After freshman left-fielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA) recorded a short single to the catcher, sophomore designated player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) brought her home on a rocketed double down the left-field line.   

Watch the video here.

Freshman shortstop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) then followed Sharp's lead by launching an RBI-single on the opposite side of the field.

As the Bulldogs' pitching cog, Uphold continued to step up from the circle, throwing her third complete game in two days.  After scattering two hits in the opening inning, she settled down to retire the side in four of the remaining six frames.

Although the Athenas led off the seventh with a single, the Bulldogs shut down any chance of a comeback with a strikeout, a fly-out to right, and a grounder to third.  Overall, the Redlands defense was impressive and flawless in the win.

En route to her 25th triumph of the season, Uphold fanned six batters and dispersed four hits.

Beyond RBI from Sharp and King, Rose highlighted the offense with a one-run, 2-for-3 performance.

View the post-game interview with Sharp, King, and Head Coach Laurie Nevarez. 

Earlier in the day, the Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaker to ETBU, falling by a score of 0-1 after the Tigers pushed one across in the first inning. 

Redlands rallied to put a runner on third with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Tiger pitcher, Shelby Parker, forced a pop-up for the final play.

Redlands now faces East Texas Baptist in an elimination rematch on Sunday at 9 a.m.  The winner then takes on the University of Texas-Tyler, which has won all three of its game at the tournament, in an 11:30 a.m. showdown.