Box Score REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands softball team (30-4, 15-1 SCIAC) beat second place Chapman University, 5-1, Thursday afternoon at The Field of Dreams as they recorded their 20th-striaght win, a new program record. The win breaks a tie with the 2012 team, which won 19 in-a-row spanning from February to March.
The first run of the game went to the Panthers who scored on a fielding error in the second. The Bulldogs, though, responded with a Natalie Lopez (Long Beach, CA) single to left that scored Avery Provenzano (San Jose, CA), who reached on a single to center before advancing to third due to a fielding error in the outfield.
An inning later on a fielder's choice, Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) and pinch runner Kayla Jackson (Bishop, CA) both came around to score. Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) started the inning off with a single back to the pitcher and that was followed by a Natalie Lowthers (Wrightwood, CA) single through the right side. After that things got interesting when Scott reached on a fielder's choice before advancing to second when time was not called. Chapman's catcher then threw to third to try and get Jackson, but the throw went into foul territory down the left field line, which allowed both her and Scott to score.
Provenzano stepped up with a big double to left scoring Maya Holshoe (Redlands, CA) for a 4 -1 U of R lead.
With the lead still at three, the Panthers opened the fifth with a double and a single to bring the tying run to the plate. Head Coach Jose Ortega, though, came out and brought in freshman reliever Caitlynn Griffith (Pala, CA).
Griffith did more than enough, inducing a pop up into foul territory for Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA), struck out Chapman's three-hole hitter, and then finished off the inning with no runs allowed as Lowthers threw out the runner at second.
The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a fourth Panther error. With two outs Brooklyn Bard (Long Beach, CA) walked before taking second base. Leila Gomez (San Bernardino, CA) then reached on an error by the first baseman, which allowed Bard to come around.
In the seventh, Griffith finished off her third save of the season with a pair of strikeouts. Her three saves make her the sixth Bulldog in program history to reach the milestone in their career, and she is just a freshman.
Gomez finished with two hits and three stolen bases. Gandara also had two hits and got her 16th win in the circle after four innings with no earned runs allowed. The bottom two in the batting order, Provenzano and Lopez, combined for four hits, two RBI's, and a run scored.
The two sides take a day off for Redlands' graduation Friday before finishing the series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. (noon) in Orange.
