REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands baseball team (21-16, 15-7 SCIAC) beat the University of La Verne, 7-6 Friday afternoon, thank to a pair of home runs by Nate Miller (San Jose, CA) and Jesse Bullard (Riverside, CA).
The Leopards jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first before a two-run home run by Miller in the bottom half cut the deficit to one, 3-2.
Two innings later Bullard hit his 15th home run of the season, a three-run shot to right to put UR on top 5-3, which also now gives him the new single-season program record, surpassing Derek Bell's 14 from 1998. Miller started the inning off with a walk and after a dropped foul ball Anthony Thomas (Moreno Valley, CA) would single to left putting runners on the corners leading to the record breaking homerun.
Mason Chetcuti (Redwood City, CA) then made it a three-run lead, 6-3, in the fifth plating Eddy Stone (Petaluma, CA) who doubled to right field with an out prior. La Verne, though, came back in the next half inning and tied the game at six on two wild pitches and an RBI single.
In the bottom half, Redlands grinded for the eventual game-winning run. Tyler Barsness (Palm Desert, CA) led off the inning with a single up the middle. Then with two outs Thomas hit a ball back up the middle, which hit off the glove of the pitcher and caromed to right center, allowing Barsness to come all the way around from first to score.
Tanner Currier (Brawley, CA), who came on in relief in the sixth, pitched 2.1 scoreless innings before Aziz Bishop (Baltimore, MD) came on and pitched around a two out single and walk to secure the save.
Thomas, Stone, and Gerosa all had three hits each, while Miller reached base safely four times with a pair of extra base hits and a pair of walks.
The two sides play the final two games of the regular season Saturday, May 2 in La Verne with first pitch of game one set for 11:00 a.m.
