REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team (28-9, 14-4 SCIAC) won both of their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) games at home against Occidental College Sunday at the Field of Dreams as they completed the series sweep with 8-0 and 9-1 victories.
Game 1 (W, 8-0 | 6-Innings)
Both teams failed to score in the first three innings before the Bulldogs pushed four across in the third. Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) got the offense started with an RBI-single that scored Isabella Culp (Bayliss, CA).
Paige Messenlehner (Fresno, CA) then walked with the bases loaded to make it 2-0. The last two runs came from pinch hitter Ashley Shelton (Jurupa Valley, CA) who singled to center bringing in pinch runner Kayla Jackson (Bishop, CA) and Kassidy Long (Hemet, CA) for a 4-0 lead after three.
Gandara grounded out in the fourth to make it 5-0 plating Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA). Brooklyn Bard (Garden Grove, CA) then stole home with one of her three steals in the game.
Up 6-0 in the sixth, Redlands needed to score two runs to run-rule the Tigers and end the game early. The first of those two runs came from Horton who tripled home Leila Jackson (Vallejo, CA). Gandara then drove in her third run of the game with a single to center as Horton again scored to end the game.
Horton finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Gandara had a pair of hits and three RBI's. On the bases Bard stole three with Horton and Messenlehner taking one apiece.
Paige Ellinger (Temecula, CA) got the start and won her eighth game of the season after throwing six shutout innings where she struck out a career-high eight batters and allowed only two hits.
Game 2 (W, 9-1 | 6-Innings)
The Tigers scored for the first time on the day in the third on an RBI-single into center. Starter Gandara would leave the bases loaded as it was 1-0.
Redlands earned two runs on a Gandara single down the right field line that got past the diving Tiger at first base in the bottom half of the third.
Then in the fourth Annissa Dorres (Mentone, CA) pinch hit and drew a bases loaded walk to make it 3-1. Bard then followed with a three-run triple to blow the game open 6-1. Gandara got another RBI as she singled home Bard later in the inning.
The Bulldogs would add their eighth run in the fifth as Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) grounded out and Messenlehner scored after she doubled and advanced to third on a Tiger throwing error.
In the sixth Redlands needed only one run to end the game and they got it on an infield single to third that Leila Gomez (San Bernardino, CA) beat out allowing Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) to score with two outs for the 9-1 win.
Bard and Gandara both reached base multiple times, and each had three RBI's. In the circle Gandara threw the complete game and got her 15th win of the season.
The Bulldogs have next weekend off for commencement before going to Thousand Oaks on Friday, May 3 at 3:00 p.m. as they face off with California Lutheran University (CLU) in the first game of their final regular season series.
