The No. 15 University of Redlands softball team captured its 17th consecutive win by taking down Whittier College in a 5-2 decision, but then settled for its inaugural Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) split of the campaign with a 3-6 defeat in the night cap.
After loading the bases in the bottom of the first inning, the Bulldogs initiated the scoring when sophomore left-fielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA) roped a single down the left-field line to plate senior catcher Kristen Hooper (Riverside, CA).
But the Poets escaped the jam with no additional consequence.
Whittier then answered with back-to-back runs in the next two frames, earning a 2-1 lead.
However, the Bulldogs responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the third inning, with the momentum starting on a failed pickoff to second base by the Poet defense. From here, junior designated player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA), Rose, and senior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) each notched RBI.
The Maroon and Gray stepped up defensively in the next stanza, with sophomore short stop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA), senior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA), and sophomore first baseman Casey Maltz (Palo Alto, CA) turned a flawless double-play.
Redlands tacked on one more run when senior center-fielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) launched an RBI-single to right-center field in the bottom of the fourth. She brought home senior right-fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA), who was walked to lead off the frame.
Kaitlyn Hooper collected her 15th win of the season from the circle, scattering five hits and striking out two in a complete-game effort.
Rose led the Bulldogs with her 2-for-2 showing and two RBI. Lievanos and Kristen Hooper also connected on two hits apiece.
During the second contest, Whittier jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, forcing Redlands to play catch-up from its first at-bat. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs orchestrated an immediate answer, with King and Sharp providing RBI in the bottom of the frame.
The Poets pushed across three more over the course of the next four innings, as the Maroon and Gray offense struggled to connect.
A highlight of the loss came in the fifth frame, when King fired off her fifth home run of the season to lead off.
Defensively, the Bulldogs turned two double-plays, with King, Kaitlyn Hooper, and Maltz contributing to the impressive effort.
For Whittier, Samantha Blum earned the win from the circle, displacing five hits and striking out two.
Redlands (21-7, 17-1 SCIAC) wastes no time in returning to the diamond as it welcomes Pomona-Pitzer Colleges to the Softball "Field of Dreams" on Saturday for a 12 noon doubleheader.
