REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team (8-1) swept York College of Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon at The Field of Dreams as they run-ruled the Spartans twice, 11-1 in 5-Innings and 15-7 in 6-Innings as Head Coach Jose Ortega picked up his 99th and 100th wins of his career with the Bulldogs.
Game 1 (W, 11-1)
The Bulldogs got on top quickly in the first using a trio of walks to Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA), Paige Messenlehner (Fresno, CA), and Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) to load the bases. Following a force out at home Ashley Shelton stepped in and reached on a fielder's choice and due to a fielding error two runs were able to come in and score putting the U of R up 2-0. The third run came around following a Sophia Magcale (Cerritos, CA) double to right center.
In the second Messenlehner singled home Horton before starting pitcher Gandara picked up a base knock to right center moving the score to 5-0.
Magcale and Brooklyn Bard (Garden Grove, CA) were able to get runs six and seven in the third on a single and sacrifice fly as Leila Gomez (San Bernardino, CA) and Magcale each scored.
In the fourth the Bulldogs got the runs they needed to have a chance to end the game early in the next inning thanks to Shelton who singled up the middle scoring Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) before Natalie Lopez (Long Beach, CA) doubled home Magcale and Avery Duran (Corona, CA) giving the Bulldogs the 11-1 win.
Gandara was 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and a walk, while she won her fourth game in the circle thanks to four shutout innings on only 50 pitches. Magcale posted a 2-for-2 effort with two runs scored, two RBI's and a walk.
Game 2 (W, 15-7)
The start to the second game was much different as York hit a two-run shot in the top half of the first to go in front quickly. Redlands, though, would get the runs back and take a 3-2 lead using a pair of walks, a Spartan throwing error, a wild pitch and a double from Duran.
York College came back to re-take a 4-3 lead with a single and double in the top half of the third. But Shelton would come up big in the bottom half of the inning with a double to right center plating Messenlehner who reached on a single up the middle.
The Spartans created another lead change in the fourth, this time with three runs, two of which were unearned. But again the Bulldogs would counter in their at-bats in the bottom half as Magcale, Annissa Dorres (Mentone, CA), and Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) all walked to load the bases leading to a Bard single to right, a Horton walk, and four straight base hits from Gandara, Leila Jackson (Vallejo, CA), Duran, and Magcale. This put the Bulldogs up 10-7, giving them a lead they would not give-up.
Redlands picked up another four runs in the fifth using four hits and capitalizing on two York errors to increase their lead to 14-7. Bard singled through the left side and was followed by a Horton double to left-center and a Messenlehner single to center. Jackson then doubled to left center bringing in another run and the final run of the frame would come in on an error by the second baseman.
Messenlehner would pick up her third hit for the game and her second RBI in the sixth as she ended the game with a single to second base that the York player missed due to the sun setting behind home plate. This gave the U of R their fifth run-rule victory of the season.
In the game Redlands had 16 hits and drew seven walks. Messenlehner, Bard, Horton, Jackson, Duran, and Kim all recorded multi-hit games. In the circle Gandara came on in relief and earned her fifth win thanks to 2.2 shutout innings with three strikeouts.
For Coach Ortega, this is brings him to 100 wins with Redlands as he becomes only the second coach in program history to reach this milestone. In his first three full seasons (excluding 2020 due to Covid-19) coming into 2024 he has won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Regular Season title three times, the SCIAC Tournament twice and has qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice.
Redlands returns to the diamond on Monday, March 4 at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00pm for a doubleheader with Carnegie Mellon taking place at the Field of Dreams.
