REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands softball team (9-2) split their non-conference doubleheader with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) on Monday afternoon at the Field of Dreams as they lost Game 1 1-0 before coming back for a 6-4 win in Game 2.
Game 1 (L, 1-0)
The Bulldogs were kept off the scoreboard for the first time this season as they managed only two hits and totaled five base runners.
The lone run of the game came on an RBI-single into left in the first inning, which would be the eventual game-winning run for the Tartans.
Starter Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) was charged with her second loss of the season after throwing a complete game with no walks and three strikeouts.
The two hits for the Maroon and Grey came from Brooklyn Bard (Garden Grove, CA) and Gandara, while Avery Duran (Corona, CA) drew a walk. Bard, Paige Messenlehner (Fresno, CA), Ashley Shelton (Jurupa Valley, CA), and Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) all recorded steals.
Game 2 (W, 6-3)
After not scoring in the first game the Bulldogs were finally able to get on the board in Game 2 as reigning Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Hitter of the Week Messenlehner drove in Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) and Bard for a 2-0 lead in the third.
The Tartans pulled one back in the fourth on a groundout, but an inning and a half later Gandara doubled home Messenlehner in the fifth. Duran followed with a single into center that scored Leila Gomez (San Bernardino, CA) putting Redlands on top 4-1 lead.
In the sixth Redlands added insurance with another two runs as Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA) came through with an RBI single up the middle to score Kim immediately followed by Gandara who picked up another RBI on a base hit down the left field line.
CMU would score twice on starter Paige Ellinger (Temecula, CA) in the top half of the seventh, but she completed the came with a flyout as the Bulldogs got their second-straight complete game in the circle.
Ellinger finished with seven strikeouts, two earned runs across her seven innings that needed only 90 pitches to complete. She improves to 4-0 on the season.
The offense improved with 12 hits and two walks. Messenlehner finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and a pair of RBI's, Gandara was 2-for-4 with two RBI's, Duran and Leila Jackson (Vallejo, CA) each added two hits apiece and Horton was 1-for-3 scoring once and driving in another.
Redlands will have a day off before hosting Baldwin Wallace University on Wednesday with first pitch of game one at noon.
