REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands softball team (37-4) advanced to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament Championship game tomorrow with an 8-0 run-rule win over No. 2 Chapman University.
With the game scoreless in the fourth, Chapman had a runner on and one out. Head Coach Jose Ortega came out and put in freshman Caitlynn Griffith (Pala, CA). She allowed the first batter to reach on a double, which put two runners in scoring position and one away. But she then got the next best thing other than a strikeout inducing a pair of infield pop ups to keep the game scoreless.
In the bottom half of the inning Natalie Lowthers (Wrightwood, CA) broke the scoreless tie with a single to right that bounced over the head of the Panther at first base, which allowed pinch runner Kayla Jackson (Bishop, CA) to score.
Then with two outs Adyson Kim (Millbrae, CA) came through again with a two-run shot to left to make it 3-0. The second big hit of the inning came from Katlyn Gandara (Whittier, CA) who doubled off the right field wall clearing the bases for a 7-0 U of R lead. Brooklyn Bard (Long Beach, CA) made it 4-0 with an infield single two batters earlier.
The game then came to an end in the fifth when Natalie Lopez (Long Beach, CA) found grass down the right field line, which allowed Avery Provenzano (San Jose, CA) to come home for the eighth run of the game. Provenzano reached on a single to right center and then advanced on a passed ball before being driven in.
The Bulldogs had six of their 11 hits come from the bottom three in the order of Kim, Provenzano, and Lopez. Gandara added three more RBI's to bring her total through two games of the SCIAC Tournament to six.
Brianna Garcia (Riverside, CA) threw 3.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts before Griffith finished off the final 1.2 innings for her 10th win on the season.
After No.4 Whitter College won both of their elimination games Saturday, the Bulldogs and Poets will play in the championship game tomorrow, Sunday, May 10 at 12:00 p.m. (noon). The Bulldogs will need to win only once, while the Poets must take both to win the tournament title.
