The University of Redlands softball team gave up just two runs across two games as the Bulldogs swept Occidental College in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader at the Softball "Field of Dreams" in Redlands on Saturday afternoon. The Maroon and Gray claimed game one, 12-1, in six innings before corralling the nightcap, 5-1.
Redlands scored twice in the first and three times in the second to go up, 5-0, early. Junior first baseman Lizett Casillas (Pomona, CA) drove in senior catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA) with a double down the rightfield line in the fourth to tack on one more before Occidental filled the run column off of an Alyssa Escalante RBI double.
Sophomore rightfielder/pitcher Breanna Ruelas (Brawley, CA) lifted a pitch over the rightfield wall to lead off the bottom of the fifth, giving the Bulldogs a 7-1 cushion heading into the sixth.
After giving up just one hit in the top of the sixth, the Bulldog bats came alive in the bottom of the frame to force the eight-run rule.
Sophomore third baseman Lindsay Henry (Lake Elsinore, CA) started the rally with a single through the left side. Henry advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Neumann's single in the ensuing at bat would put her in prime scoring position. Sophomore rightfielder Kirstie Bender (Lakewood, CA) reached on a fielder's choice, setting the stage for senior designated player/pitcher Amanda Doeppel (Monrovia, CA). Doeppel launched a walk-off, grand-slam home run to centerfield, pushing the Maroon and Gray past the eight-run margin needed to end the game.
In the circle for Redlands, senior pitcher Olivia Ellis (Colfax, CA) sparkled, yielding one run off three hits and one walk over five innings. She also struck out a game-high three batters and moved to 5-2 on the season with the victory. Doeppel pitched one scoreless inning in relief while striking out two.
Shanna Yackel sustained the loss for the Tigers, scattering nine hits and allowing seven runs, six of which were earned.
Four Bulldogs notched two hits. Doeppel drove in a game-high four runs while going 2-for-2.
Game two featured five errors between the two squads, but the Bulldogs proved equally as dominant as they were in the first outing of the afternoon despite the miscues with five runs on nine hits.
Two errors by the Tigers in the first gave way to a three-run inning for Redlands. Freshman shortstop Kirsten Milliner (Torrance, CA), Henry and senior centerfielder Kayla Peterson (San Jose, CA) all touched the dish to give the Maroon and Gray a 3-0 advantage.
Alyssa Smith came around to score for Occidental in the second, which trimmed Redlands' lead to two.
Casillas plated Henry in the third off an RBI single up the middle, while Peterson's triple gave way to a Henry sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Ruelas moved to 3-1 on the season after tossing six full innings without yielding an earned run. She gave up one unearned run on four hits and one walk while striking out two. Amanda Doeppel kept Occidental hitless and scoreless in one inning of relief in the seventh.
Brittany Vacura pitched six frames for the Tigers, conceding five runs, four of which were earned, off nine hits.
Henry paced the offense with a 2-for-2 effort at the plate, adding two runs scored and two RBI.
Redlands (10-4, 8-0 SCIAC) hosts the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX) on Tuesday (March 16) in a non-conference doubleheader at the Softball "Field of Dreams." The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 p.m.
