The University of Redlands baseball squad completed a three-game series against the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Sagehens on Saturday in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action. After falling in the Friday showdown, the Bulldogs came back with a vengeance and swept the doubleheader by grabbing a 5-4 walk-off victory and finishing with an 11-3 win to take the series.
In game one, senior hurler Michael Collins (Upland, CA) was handed the pearl and got off to a solid start by chucking up a zero. However, he experienced some rough terrain in the second inning while allowing two runs and putting the Bulldogs in catch-up mode.
After Collins regained composure and held the Sagehens scoreless through the following four frames, the Redlands bats began to come alive. Freshman shortstop Aaron Singh (Anaheim, CA) got the ball rolling by driving a single to right field, scoring junior center-fielder Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA). Senior right-fielder Christian Gurrola (Torrance, CA) backed Singh with a sacrifice fly to right field, which plated senior first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA) to tie the contest at two apiece.
The Bulldogs grabbed the lead for the first time in the bottom of the sixth inning, as junior second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) lifted a sacrifice fly out to right field to score Gurrola. Senior designated hitter Kevin Stevens (Highland, CA) dug into the box with two outs and cranked an RBI-double to right-center field, scoring senior third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) for Redlands' 4-2 advantage.
Unfortunately, the Sagehens knotted up the score by plating a run in the seventh and eighth innings to force extra innings.
However, the Bulldogs wasted no time in the bottom of the 10th inning, as Scalisi singled through the left side with the bases loaded to score Singh and take the first game 5-4 in walk-off fashion.
Junior reliever John White (Burbank, CA) earned the victory after tossing three innings, allowing a mere run off four hits, and striking out three batters. Senior reliever John Keane (Clayton, CA) was solid out of the bullpen in 1.1 innings of action.
Scalisi barreled the game-winning hit by going 1-for-3 with two RBI and two walks. Gurrola went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
In the nightcap, Stevens climbed the bump for the Bulldogs and was very effective over the course of six innings while allowing just two runs.
After Redlands grabbed an early 2-1 lead with an RBI-groundout from Tumlinson and an RBI-single to first base off the bat of Franklin, the Bulldogs opened up the flood gates in the fifth and sixth innings by tossing up two-consecutive four-spots.
Gurrola continued to carry a hot stick by singling through the right side, scoring Scalisi. Junior designated hitter Rainier Aguilar (San Bernardino, CA) notched his second hit of the ball game by lacing a single through the right side to score Tumlinson. Senior left-fielder Mitch Samson (Orangevale, CA) capped off the scoring for the Bulldogs by slapping a single to left field, plating Aguilar and Gurrola for the Maroon and Gray's 7-2 lead.
The Bulldogs continued to press down on the gas pedal in the bottom of the seventh inning, as junior catcher Kyle Wallau (San Mateo, CA) launched a deep sacrifice fly to center field, plating Scalisi. Gurrola remained hungry at the dish by lining a double to right-center field to score Tumlinson. Aguilar notched his fourth hit of the contest when he dropped a single in front of the center-fielder to bring Gurrola home en route to Redlands' 11-3 victory.
Stevens earned the victory while tossing six innings and striking out three batters. Junior Adam Stead (Rialto, CA) and freshman Noah Jones (San Bernardino, CA) finished off the final three frames of the contest on the mound.
Aguilar notched a perfect 4-for-4 game at the dish, notching two doubles, two RBI, and four runs scored in the process.
Franklin went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, while Gurrola notched a 2-for-4 day with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored.
The Bulldogs (7-4, 5-1 SCIAC) take on Korean Baseball Organization's (KBO) KT Wiz in San Manuel Stadium on Monday, February 29, at 5:30 p.m. in an exhibition game.
