The University of Redlands baseball team fell in both games of Sunday's doubleheader to Whitman College (WA), losing the opener, 6-7, and the nightcap, 7-14. Despite the non-conference losses, the Bulldogs sit in third place in the conference standings ahead of the upcoming Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Final Four games.
In game one on Sunday, Redlands gave up an early run and by the fourth inning, trailed 0-3. The Bulldog bats then started clicking in the bottom half of the fifth frame, however, as Redlands scored three runs to tie up the ballgame. Freshman third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Topeka, KS) led off the fifth with a sharp single to right field. A few batters later, with two runners on base, Bulldog sophomore catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) laced an RBI single to right field, scoring both runners.
After tying the game up with one more in the fifth inning, the Maroon and Gray tacked on three additional runs in the sixth frame. Junior center-fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) came up with the big hit of the sixth when he blasted a triple to deep right-center field, registering two RBI on the play.
Up 6-3 heading into the eighth inning, the Bulldogs surrendered four runs, and could not recover in either of their final two at-bats, resulting in the tough one-run loss.
Scheiwe provided a phenomenal effort at the plate for the U of R in game one, going 4-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Additionally, junior left-fielder Max Hardman (Encinitas, CA) tallied a two-hit performance with one run scored.
On the mound for Redlands in the opener, senior pitcher Eliot Smith (West Linn, OR) went three innings, giving up four hits and one unearned run. In relief, junior pitcher Ross Orman (Corvallis, OR) went three solid innings as well, while allowing four hits and no runs.
The nightcap saw the Maroon and Gray fall behind early, and by the end of the third frame, trailed 3-10. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to five runs later in the contest, but would get no closer, as the Whitman bats stayed hot at the plate.
A number of players contributed in game two, highlighted by a two-hit performance from sophomore second baseman Matt Barnes (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) who came off the bench. Tumlinson and sophomore shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) also registered two hits apiece, while freshman shortstop Jesse Santos (Berkeley, CA), freshman center-fielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK), freshman designated hitter Kevin Hindes (Upland, CA) and freshman Andrew Petersdorf (Seattle, WA) each recorded base-knocks in the contest.
As the No. 3 seed heading into the SCIAC Final Four, the Bulldogs (19-14, 15-9 SCIAC) travel to Whittier College on Wednesday for their first game of the four contests. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. For a complete listing of the remaining schedule, please visit http://goredlands.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/schedule.
