The University of Redlands baseball team traveled to Chapman University on Friday afternoon for the first game of its three-game series with the Panthers, and in a low-scoring affair, the Bulldogs fell, 2-4.  The Maroon and Gray battled back late in the contest and got the tying runner in scoring position, but the Bulldogs could not take advantage, resulting in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) defeat.

Friday's contest marked the first meeting between former Bulldog Head Coach, Scott Laverty, and new U of R Head Coach, Aaron Holley.  Holley served as an assistant coach under Laverty for seven years.

The Maroon and Gray surrendered a run in the first frame, and then another in the third, putting the Bulldogs in an early hole, 0-2. 

Redlands halved the deficit in the sixth inning, and junior right-fielder Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) led off the frame with a double to left field.  After senior center-fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) recorded a bunt single and Hancock advanced to third, junior catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) notched a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Hancock.

The Panthers (15-8, 11-5 SCIAC) responded quickly, however, tacking on two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth to extend the advantage to 4-1. 

The Bulldogs continued to show resiliency, and in the eighth frame, Hancock tallied a single to the right side.  Scheiwe followed that up with a single to the shortstop, and a couple of batters later, Hancock came around to score on an RBI single from junior shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA).  Two batters later, with runners on at second and third and two outs, Redlands could not convert on the golden opportunity, resulting in no more runs scored in the pivotal inning.

The Bulldogs threatened again in the ninth, but the U of R was unable to register the clutch hit it was looking for, proving to be the difference in the two-run loss.

Hancock led the way at the plate with a 4-for-5 performance and two runs scored, while Scheiwe provided three hits on the day.  As a team, the Bulldogs registered 10 hits overall.

On the mound, freshman pitcher Hayden Haight (Redlands, CA) went 5.2 innings and scattered eight hits while allowing four runs in defeat.  In relief, senior pitcher Ross Orman (Corvallis, OR) provided 2.1 solid innings of work and gave up just two hits while shutting the Panthers out.

Redlands (9-17, 8-8 SCIAC) returns home tomorrow to complete the three-game stint with the Panthers at The Yard.  First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 11 a.m.  If you can't make it to the game, be sure to follow the action via live stats and the live video stream.