REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team (30-11) opened up the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament Friday with a 5-2 win over the No. 4 seed California Lutheran University (CLU).
The Regals got off to a hot start in the first inning as they were able to score twice against Bulldog starter Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA), however, only one run was earned.
Despite a scoreless first, Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA) was able to make history with a single that led off the game before stealing second base. The stolen base is the 31st of the season for her and ties her with the program record holder Allyson Leslie from 2006.
Redlands grabbed two runs leveling the game in the bottom half of the second inning. Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) started the inning off with a walk and then moved over to second base following a base hit by Jenay Scott (Merced, CA). Leila Jackson (Vallejo, CA) kept the line moving with a single up the middle that brought home Kim. After a sacrifice bunt that moved up both runners into scoring position Horton put a ball on the infield allowing Scott to score tying the game at two.
In the fourth the Bulldogs added the eventual game-winning run. Scott had a bunt single to lead off the inning but a double play lineout would put two outs on the board. Then with two strikes, First-Year Natalie Lopez (Long Beach, CA) would porch a solo home run to left field for the game-winning hit as UR led 3-2. It was Lopez's first career home run.
Redlands picked up a pair of insurance runs in the fifth thanks to Kassidy Long (Hemet, CA) who had a pinch hit double into left center bringing in Gandara and Paige Messenlehner (Fresno, CA) who both reached earlier in the inning on a walk and a bunt single.
Horton, Scott, and Lopez all had two hits on the day and Gandara reached all four times with a single and three walks. Kim also reached twice, both via walks. Gandara finished off her 16th win of the season as she needed only 68 pitches to throw the complete game.
The Bulldogs take on the No. 2 seed Chapman University, who run-ruled Claremont-Mudd-Scrips 9-0 in the second semi-final of the day, Saturday, May 11 beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the "winner's" game.
