Despite the pristine conditions on a beautiful day at the Yard, the University of Redlands baseball team shouldered a tough, 8-20 loss to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in non-conference action on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bulldogs ended the first inning up by one after a balk allowed sophomore right fielder Cal Bridges (Fremont, CA) to touch home for the first run of the game.

Although MIT gained control with two runs in the top of the third, Redlands bounced back with an RBI-double from senior left fielder Eduardo Martinez-Razo (Rialto, CA) in the bottom of the fourth to knot the game up at two apiece.

However, the momentum shifted in the top of the fifth, as the Engineers put up a crooked number to force the home team into a significant deficit midway through the contest.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs countered MIT's three runs with five of their own to make it 8-17. Bridges got things going with a triple up the middle and then made it home on a passed ball on the next pitch. The Maroon and Gray worked to load the bases and tallied another run when sophomore right fielder Brennan Carr (Chino Hills, CA) crossed the plate on a fielder's choice. Consecutive singles from first-year shortstop Max Smyley (Sarasota, FL), junior third baseman Anthony Acosta (Simi Valley, CA), and sophomore second baseman Trevor Smith (Coronado, CA) led to three more runs to cap off a lucrative inning for the Bulldogs.

Unfortunately, the Engineers put up three scores in the eighth to aid their efforts in the 20-8 result. 

For the Bulldogs, senior first baseman Brendan Moore (Murrieta, CA) and Martinez-Razo each went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Martinez-Razo also registered an RBI. Acosta finished 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Redlands (9-15-1, 3-6 SCIAC) returns to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) slate with a road contest against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Friday, March 29, at 3 p.m.