REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands softball team (35-4, 20-1 SCIAC) completed the series sweep of Pomona-Pitzer Saturday at the Field of Dreams and moved their program record winning streak to 25 games after a 10-0 run-rule win and a 9-7 comeback victory to end the regular season. The second win was also Head Coach Jose Ortega's 200th career win.
Game 1 W, 1-0 | 5 Innings)
After the Sagehens took a 5-0 lead in game one, it was the Bulldogs who were ahead by five after the first inning Saturday. Natalie Lowthers (Wrightwood, CA) had the first big hit for the Maroon and Grey with a three-run home run to left.
Avery Duran (Corona, CA) and Brooklyn Bard (Garden Grove, CA) also added singles that scored Avery Provenzano (San Jose, CA) and Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) for the 5-0 U of R advantage after one inning.
In the second, runs six, seven, and eight were scored by Redlands on a two-run single by Provenzano and a wild pitch that Jenay Scott (Merced, CA) read perfectly to make it 8-0.
The final two runs for Redlands came on a pair of Sagehen errors in the fourth.
In the circle Brianna Garcia (Riverside, CA) got the win and the complete game shutout, scattering six hits and walking one in her third win on the season.
Lowthers, Scott, Provenzano, and Kim all had two-hit days, while Bard, Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA), and Natalie Lopez (Long Beach, CA) all reached base safely twice as well.
Game 2 (W, 9-7)
It was a slow start to the second game but again the Bulldogs were able to get out in front early capitalizing on a couple of fielding errors allowing Kayla Jackson (Bishop, CA) to score, steal second and come around to score to make it 1-0.
Pomona-Pitzer tied the game at one in the third on a single to left. Redlands, though, pushed three across in the bottom half as Lopez singled home Bard, Maya Holshoe (Redlands, CA) found the hole on the right side to make it 3-1, and Kim singled home Gandara.
The scoring continued in the next half inning as the Sagehens pulled to within one, 4-3, on a double steal and a single back up the middle.
Redlands looked to have pulled away in the bottom of the fourth with singles by Gandara and Holshoe that made it 6-3, but Pomona-Pitzer again rallied this time going in front 7-6 in the top of the sixth.
Like they have done many times during this winning streak, the Bulldogs were forced to come from behind grabbing three runs in the bottom of the sixth to seal the win. Lowthers reached on an error by the right fielder and moved up to second following a single by Scott. A sac bunt moved both runners up, which led to Kim doubling off the wall in dead center plating both runners. After a Provenzano walk Leila Gomez (San Bernardino, CA) added an insurance run with a single down the third base line which scored Kim.
The Bulldogs had eight different players record hits. Garcia finished the final 1.2 innings with no runs allowed and moved to 4-0 on the season.
Redlands hosts the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament this coming Friday-Sunday, May 8-10 at the Field of Dreams. Full details on match-ups and times will be announced on goredlands.com.
