WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The University of Redlands Baseball team (18-17) opened up a four game non-conference series with Whitman College Friday splitting a doubleheader taking game one 5-4 before falling 12-4 in game two.
Game 1 (W, 5-4)
Washington native Will Cell (Seattle, WA) started the scoring off for the Bulldogs in the second inning when he doubled to center bringing home fellow Washington teammate Kaiya Saito (Bellevue, WA) and Jake Burgess (Riverside, CA) for an early 2-0 lead.
Whitman would tie the game in the fourth and then go in front 4-2 against UR starter Tyler Reiter (San Diego, CA) in the fifth. But in the next half inning, however, Gabriel Ceja would cut the deficit to one with a single to right field scoring Tyler Preece (Bellevue, WA) moving the score to 4-3.
After Reiter finished his start off with a scoreless sixth inning, Jakob Russell (Fontana, CA) came on in relief and shut down the Blues in the seventh before the offense was able to tie and take the lead in the eighth.
In the top half of the inning the Bulldogs got a one out single from Ceja before Burgess tied the game at four with a triple. Ian Umscheid (Beaumont, CA) then had the game-winning hit with a pinch hit single that brought home Burgess putting Redlands on top 5-4.
The Blues would fail to add any additional runs in the ninth as Patrick Perez (Ontario, CA) came on for Russell to close the game out despite facing two runners reaching on a single and hit-by-a-pitch.
Whitman moved the tying and winning runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Then after an intentional walk to load the bases setting up a potential double play, Perez earned a pop up and fly out to secure the save and preserve the win.
The top five in the lineup went 2-for-22, but the rest of the team went 7-for-16 driving in all five runs. Ceja and Burgess each went 2-for-4, while Preece reached twice via a hit and walk.
On the mound Reiter went six innings with 10 hits allowed and three earned runs. Russell threw two innings with no walks, two hits, and two strikeouts as he improved to 4-1.
Game 2 (L, 12-4)
The Bulldogs found themselves down quickly in game two 9-0 until Jared Anderson (Gilbert, AZ) singled to third scoring Lucas Romero (Corona, CA).
Down 12-1 in the seventh, Redlands avoided the run-rule when Luke Hanson (Escondido, CA) hit a two-run single on the infield followed by Umscheid who hit a sacrifice fly to right field, making it an eight-run game, 12-4.
Over the final two innings the two pitching staffs kept each other off the scoreboard as the two teams split the doubleheader.
Ryan Rhoades (San Diego, CA) and Marco Naranjo (San Bernardino, CA) each threw one scoreless inning with no hits allowed and one strikeout in relief. Miles Lu (San Jose, CA) earned the start and picked up the loss going 1.1 innings giving up seven runs on six hits. He drops to 3-2.
The Bulldogs and Blues play games three and four of the series in another doubleheader Saturday, April 20 with game times set for 12:00pm and 3:00pm.
