The University of Redlands baseball team traveled to Pasadena to take on the Caltech Beavers in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader on Saturday. The team knocked 19 hits en route to completing the three-game sweep of the Beavers with a pair of wins by scores of 2-1 and 6-1.
With senior Michael Collins (Upland, CA) on the hill for the first game, Redlands jumped on the board first with a single run in the top of the second. Junior right fielder Kyle Kabeary (Indio, CA) bunted his way on and took second on a wild pitch. Sophomore shortstop Aaron Singh (Anaheim, CA) traded places with him as he knocked a double to left center for the Bulldogs' 1-0 lead.
Collins followed this up by fanning two batters in the bottom of the second. He went on to record five punch-outs in a solid outing.
Fast-forward to the top of the seventh inning, when Singh picked up right where he left off by sending a lead-off double down the left-field line. Senior catcher Kyle Wallau (San Mateo, CA) put down a successful bunt single for junior second baseman Will Hall (Seattle, WA). Hall also bunted for the successful squeeze play, as Singh snuck in from third to score.
The Beavers had two runners on in the bottom of the ninth when senior hurler John White (Burbank, CA) came in. Although Caltech put up a run to close the gap to 2-1, White regrouped and threw a strikeout to complete the game, giving Collins the win and White taking home the save.
Senior pitcher John White (Clayton, CA) was handed the pearl for the third and final game of the series.
Redlands registered it first run again in the top of the second. Junior designated hitter Jordan Babbitt (Highland, CA) stepped up to the plate and launched a home run to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.
In the top of the fourth inning, the visiting team knocked three hits, including two singles and a double. With two runners on and two outs, sophomore first basemen Brendan Moore (Murrieta, CA) doubled to left center, plating two runs for the 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs added another run in the top of the sixth off of a Babbitt base-knock. Although the Beavers put one up on the board in the bottom of that inning, Redlands tacked on two more runs in the eighth for a 6-1 final and a series sweep. Singh recorded yet another double on the day to send Kabeary and Moore home.
Keane was lights out in the nightcap, throwing a complete game with six strikeouts.
Redlands (17-10, 8-4 SCIAC) continues SCIAC action by heading to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges to take on the Stags on Friday, March 31. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
