CLAREMONT, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team (24-9, 10-4 SCIAC) won game one of their road doubleheader at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) 11-0 thanks to 18 hits and a six-run seventh inning. Then in game two the bats went silent as they lost 3-1 still taking the series.
Game 1 (W, 11-0)
The Bulldogs led from the second inning on when Leila Jackson (Vallejo, CA) homered to left center scoring Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) for a 2-0 U of R lead.
In the fourth L. Jackson made it 3-0 with a single to left that again brought in Scott.
Maya Holshoe (Redlands, CA) came in as a pinch hitter in the fifth placing a double to right center and she would get followed by a pair of singles from Natalie Horton (Palmdale. CA) and Kassidy Long (Hemet, CA) pushing the lead to 5-0.
In the seventh Redlands broke the game open with six runs on nine hits. Brooklyn Bard (Garden Grove, CA) was the first run of the inning when she scored on an error after a bunt single by Natalie Lopez (Long Beach, CA). Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) then made it 8-0 with a single to right.
The line kept moving thanks to a third RBI hit of the game for L. Jackson who brought home Paige Messenlehner (Fresno, CA) who reached on a single up the middle. Run 10 of the game came on a single to left that allowed Kim to score off the bat of Isabella Culp (Bayliss, CA). Horton then drove in Scott for the 11th run.
Horton, Scott, and L. Jackson all posted three-hit games, while four of the team's nine RBI's came from L. Jackson.
Brianna Garcia (Riverside, CA) threw her first career shutout as she allowed only three hits across seven innings for her third win on the season.
Game 2 (L, 3-1)
The Athenas grabbed the early lead in the second inning on a single. Messenlehner then tied the game at one in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to center that brought home pinch runner Kayla Jackson (Bishop, CA). Prior to Messenlehner's sacrifice fly, Long stole second base which was the team's 100th of the season. They already broke the single season record of 89 from last season in yesterday's game, and they are now the first team in program history to reach the 100 stolen base plateau.
That was the lone score for the Bulldogs as the Athenas added a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fourth.
Katlyn Gandara added two more hits to give her a total of four on the day. Messenlehner went 1-for-1 with a walk and an RBI. Paige Ellinger (Temecula, CA) had a solid start of 3.1 innings with two runs allowed and a strikeout. Garcia finished the final 2.1 innings with three strikeouts and no base runners allowed.
Redlands will have another important SCIAC game this coming Wednesday, April 17 at 3:00 p.m. at The Field of Dreams when they host Chapman University for a single game, that was rescheduled from March, in the third and final game of the series.
