The University of Redlands baseball team registered one victory during a three-game series against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent, University of La Verne, over the weekend. In the tightly-contested series, each game was decided by just one run.
The Bulldogs pieced together a great game-two win with stellar performances coming from a number of players. The bats were clicking all day as the Maroon and Gray tallied a season-high 18 hits in the victory. After falling behind early, Redlands took its first lead of the game when sophomore right-fielder Nathaniel Acosta (Chino Hills, CA) launched a grand-slam homerun over the left-field wall to make it a 6-4 game in favor of the Bulldogs. For the game, Acosta went 4-for-6 at the plate with a team-high five RBI.
The U of R tacked on two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth when senior center-fielder Marcus Himelhoch (Portland, OR) laced a single into right field, scoring both sophomore shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) and sophomore catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) on the play.
Heading into the ninth inning, up 9-5, the Bulldogs surrendered the four tying runs, sending the contest to extra innings.
Showing its resiliency, Redlands responded in the bottom half of the tenth inning with the game-winning run. Freshman outfielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK) provided the heroics by executing the perfect suicide-squeeze bunt with the bases loaded, scoring Dresner from third base and securing the 10-9 triumph.
Watch the game-winning play here.
Game three almost provided the same heroics as game two. With the Bulldogs trailing by three runs entering the bottom of the ninth inning, Redlands began its rally with one out. After Bowker reached via an error by the La Verne shortstop, U of R freshman third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Topeka, KS) singled to center field.
Two batters later, senior second baseman Jason Henning (Redlands, CA) ripped a single to left field, scoring Bowker and bringing the Bulldogs to within two. Two-straight walks earned Redlands another run, and the Bulldogs trailed 8-9 with two outs, the bases loaded and Acosta at the plate. Acosta lined a potential game-winning walk-off hit to right field, but the Leopards' right-fielder made a running catch to end the game.
Freshman pitcher John Keane (Clayton, CA) put together a solid performance in his second collegiate start, going seven innings and distributing seven hits and four runs while striking out two.
In the opening game of the three-game stint with the Leopards, Redlands started the game off with a three-run first inning. Dresner recorded the big hit in the frame, ripping a two-RBI single to put the Bulldogs up 3-0. The early lead would not hold, however, as the Maroon and Gray lost Friday's contest by a final score of 4-5. Dresner provided the best day at the dish for Redlands, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Redlands (2-5) returns to action on Monday afternoon when it takes on the University of British Columbia (CAN) in an exhibition contest. First pitch at The Yard is scheduled for 2 p.m.
