The University of Redlands baseball team stumbled to non-conference opponent, Rutgers University – Newark (NJ), on Tuesday afternoon at The Yard, 1-7. On the day, the Scarlet Raiders' pitchers effectively shut down the Bulldog bats, resulting in the six-run defeat for Redlands.
Rutgers-Newark (3-6) jumped on top in the second inning with a pair of runs, and then tacked on three more in the third frame to take the early 5-0 lead.
Redlands pulled one run back in the fifth, however, cutting the deficit to just four. Junior third baseman Christian Gurrola (Torrance, CA) got things going in that fifth inning with a leadoff double to left field. Senior designated-hitter Max Hardman (Encinitas, CA) followed that up with a base hit up the middle, advancing Gurrola to third. Gurrola eventually came in to cross the plate later in the inning.
The Scarlet Raiders tacked on one more in the sixth and seventh frames to extend the advantage to 7-1, and that would be all they would need.
The Bulldogs managed just four hits as a team on the day, as Rutgers-Newark junior pitcher Andrew Nasti (Weehawken, NJ) went eight innings strong while allowing just the one earned run and three hits.
At the plate for the Maroon and Gray, freshman shortstop Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA) and senior center-fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) registered the other two hits on the day for the Bulldogs.
Redlands (8-15) returns to action on Sunday, March 23, when it hosts La Sierra University at The Yard for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
