REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Baseball team (6-4, 2-1 SCIAC) dropped game one of their four-game series, 23-8, with Whitworth University Friday afternoon at The Yard.

The Bulldogs found themselves in a big hole following the first half inning after the Pirates scored five times.

Following a sixth Whitworth run in the second, Jake Burgess (Riverside, CA) drove in Gabriel Ceja (Long Beach, CA) to get Redlands on the board. Then in the third, Mark Kirkland (Redlands, CA) singled home Luke De Vries (Irvine, CA) and CJ Brown (El Cajon, CA) to pull the Bulldogs within three, 6-3.

Whitworth responded in the next half inning with another four runs.  But Mason Chetcuti (Redwood City, CA) would keep the offense going with a two-run double into right center that plated Burgess and Nate Miller (San Jose, CA).

In the fifth the Pirates put the comeback attempt to bed with nine runs as they extended their lead to 19-5.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh and needing eight runs to avoid the 10-run rule, the U of R got an RBI double from Aziz Bishop (Baltimore, MD) and an RBI single through the left side by Neal Baron (Mercer Island, WA). But Whitworth would end the threat and secure the series-opening win.

De Vries, Ceja, Miller, and Brown all reached base twice. John Hernandez (Fontana, CA) threw the final 0.2 of the game and was the lone pitcher to not allow any runs.

Games two and three begin at 11:00am tomorrow, Saturday, February 22 at The Yard.