The University of Redlands softball team showed heart but fell to the No. 13 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader on Friday afternoon on the Field of Dreams. The Bulldogs struggled to get their bats going in the first game and dropped a 0-5 decision before coming up short in the nightcap, 4-11.
After CMS grabbed a 4-0 lead by the fourth inning, Redlands worked to respond in the bottom of the frame when sophomore centerfielder Sam Rivas (Whittier, CA) led off with a single down the left-field line but she was left stranded.
In the sixth, senior pitcher Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) threw a strong 1-2-3 inning to retire the side, but Redlands could not capitalize in the ensuing bottom half of the inning.
After going down five runs and facing two outs in the bottom of the seventh, first-year designated player Jessica Torosian (Thousand Oaks, CA) and senior catcher Nova Siegel (Fairfield, CA) each singled up the middle on consecutive at-bats. However, a pop fly ended the game before they could make it home.
In game two, CMS built a 10-1 lead through four innings, as Redlands' offensive struggles continued.
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs fought back in the bottom of the fifth to make up three runs with solid hitting and base-running. Facing two outs, first-year first baseman Tyesen Gordon (Lathrop, CA) ripped a double to the left-center fence to allow Siegel to make it home. On the next play, Torosian knocked an RBI-double to the same spot, which allowed Gordon to cross the plate. To keep the rally going, sophomore second baseman Desiree Moran (Bakersfield, CA) also doubled, but this time to the right-center fence, to push Torosian across to make it 4-10 after five innings of action.
CMS tacked on one more run in the top of the sixth before the game concluded due to insufficient light.
Gordon hit well with a 3-for-3 clip at the plate and one RBI.
Redlands (11-15, 5-9 SCIAC) hits the road for a conference doubleheader against Cal Lutheran University on Saturday, March 30, at 12 p.m. in Thousand Oaks.
