REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team (31-11) advanced to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Game of the 2024 SCIAC Tournament following a 6-3 win over Chapman University in the "winner's game" on Saturday.
After a pair of scoreless innings the Bulldogs opened things up in the bottom half of the third with four runs on four hits. Natalie Lopez (Long Beach, CA) started the inning off with a single on the infield. Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA) then reached on a fielder's choice. The very next pitch Horton then stole second and advanced to third on an error and with that stolen base she now has 32 on the season, which is a new program record.
Brooklyn Bard (Garden Grove, CA) kept the inning going with a bunt single and then advanced to second with no throw down. After a walk to Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) that loaded the bases Paige Messenlehner (Fresno, CA) added an RBI-single to short that scored Horton and Bard. The big hit of the inning, though, came from Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) who made it 4-0 with a two-run double into center.
Chapman got one run back in the fourth on a sacrifice fly as Bulldog starter Brianna Garcia (Riverside, CA) worked out of a bases loaded jam.
Kim added an insurance run in the fifth as she singled home Leila Jackson (Vallejo, CA) who singled to left and stole second earlier in the inning. Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) then made it 6-1 on an RBI-groundout to second base.
The Panthers had their first three batters reach base in the seventh and threatened. Gandara then came out of the bullpen and was able to get a pair of fielder's choice outs as she recorded the save.
Jackson and Kim both had two hits and a run scored with Kim tying a career-high with three RBI's. Bard, Messenlehner, Scott, Isabella Culp (Bayliss, CA), and Lopez also had hits. In the circle Garcia threw six innings and earned her fifth win of the year and Gandara recorded her fourth save.
With the win and Chapman's 9-0 victory over California Lutheran University in an elimination game to end day two action, the two sides will now play for a second time this weekend on Sunday, May 12 beginning at 12:00pm (Noon). If Redlands wins they will be the SCIAC Tournament Champion receiving the automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Division III National Championships. If the U of R drops the first game then they will play a second in a winner-take-all match-up.
