REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Baseball team dropped a pair of one-run games with Willamette University Saturday the second coming in extra innings as they move to 1-2 on the season.
The Bulldogs held a 2-1 lead in the top-half of the ninth in game one, but surrendered that advantage falling 3-2. Then in the second game of the doubleheader was trailing 12-5 in the bottom half of the eighth before erupting for six runs, which pulled them within one. The game was halted due to darkness forcing it to be finished on Sunday. UR was able to tie the game up to force extras, but was unable to build off the momentum falling 13-12.
Game 1 (L, 3-2)
Sebastian Mejorado (Oceanside, CA) picked up where he left off in the game against Central Washington with another RBI as he made it 1-0 in the second inning driving in Max Clark (Fontana, CA) who doubled to left center.
The Bearcats tied the game at one following six-shutout innings from Tyler Reiter (San Diego, CA) who left with the no decision after giving up one run on four hits with seven strikeouts. Will Cell (Seattle, WA) reclaimed the lead for the Maroon and Grey in the bottom half of the seventh, driving home Mejorado with a base knock through the 5-6 hole that made the score 2-1.
In the ninth with a runner at first and two outs, Willamette staged a rally with the next three batters reaching base, and the last of those three hitting a two-run single that made it 3-2. Then in the bottom half of the ninth the Bulldogs went 1-2-3 as they dropped their first game of the season.
Mejorado was 2-for-4 scoring once and driving in another. Cell was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Clark was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Game 2 (L, 13-12 | 10-Innings)
In the second game of the doubleheader the Bulldogs got out in front quickly with a fielder's choice RBI from Jared Anderson (Gilbert, AZ) in the first. Anderson then made it 2-0 with another RBI as he drove home Esteban Nakashima (Riverside, CA) in the bottom half of the third.
In the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings the Bearcats offense broke out with 12 unanswered runs as they led 12-2 through six and half.
Redlands started what would turn into a massive comeback in the seventh inning, scoring three runs to get within seven, 12-5. In the inning Anderson drove in two more runs and Clark doubled down the line bringing in the third run.
The hit parade continued in the eighth where UR had eight-straight hits to start the inning. The first run came courtesy of Cell who drove home Kaiya Saito (Bellevue, WA). Patrick Perez (Ontario, CA) then scored Gabriel Ceja (Long Beach, CA) and Anderson, Clark, and Jake Burgess (Riverside, CA) got the Bulldogs within one, 12-11.
Following a Bearcat pitching change, Mejorado hit into a fielder's choice that tie the game with still only one out and the lead run on base. Saito got his second at-bat of the inning and singled through the left side, but a double play on the next at-bat ended the rally forcing the game into extra innings.
Willamette would go on to score what would be the winning run on a single to center field in the 10th inning with two outs.
Anderson drove in a career-high five runs, one off tying himself for the eighth most RBI's in a game in program history. Luke De Vries (Irvine, CA) and Anderson each recorded three hits with UR getting base knocks from ten different players. De Vries also scored three times and drove in one, Clark had a 2-for-5 effort with a run scored and two RBI's and Burgess was 2-for-5 with another RBI.
First-year Sean McCance (Irvine, CA) got the start and went 3.1 Innings giving up just two runs on two hits. Nathan Buchan (Mercer Island, WA) would pick up the loss going the final 2.0 Innings giving up a run on three hits, while striking out three.
