The 19th-ranked University of Redlands softball team hosted Vanguard University at the Softball "Field of Dreams" on Monday afternoon, falling to the Lions 1-10 in the opener, and 3-11 in the nightcap. Senior Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) provided one of the bright spots for the Bulldogs on the day, however, cranking out a homerun and adding to her career-leading total for the program.
The Maroon and Gray fell behind against the NAIA squad early in the opener, allowing two runs to cross the plate in the first inning.
The Bulldogs cut that deficit in half, however, when Lievanos blasted a full-count pitch over the left-field fence for her third homerun of the 2014 campaign, and her 26th of her U of R career.
Nonetheless, Vanguard continued to stay hot offensively and tacked on a run in the fourth, two in the sixth, and then five more in the seventh to seal the non-conference triumph.
Credited with the loss, senior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) pitched 4.2 innings, dispersing 10 hits and surrendering three runs, only one of which was earned. Lievanos led the way at the plate with two hits while scoring the lone run of the game for the Bulldogs.
In the nightcap, Redlands allowed four runs in the first frame and found itself fighting from behind again.
In the bottom of the first, junior third baseman Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) began the inning with a triple to centerfield, and eventually came in to score when sophomore right-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) registered an RBI single to left field.
The Lions continued to pour on the offense in the third frame, scoring five runs and nabbing the 9-1 lead.
Trailing in the bottom of the fifth inning, 1-10, the Bulldogs did not go down easily and scored two runs when sophomore shortstop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) laced an RBI triple into right-centerfield, scoring sophomore second baseman Addie Oeleis (Temecula, CA) and Lievanos on the play.
That is where the comeback effort would end for Redlands, as Vanguard (12-2) tallied one more in the sixth frame for the eight-run win.
Senior catcher Kristen Hooper (Riverside, CA) led the way at the dish with a pair of hits for the Maroon and Gray, while King notched a team-high two RBI. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) provided solid relief in the circle for the Bulldogs, going three innings and allowing just two runs, only one of which was earned.
Redlands (4-6) returns to action when it travels to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader on Saturday, February 22. First pitch in Claremont is scheduled for 12 noon.
