The University of Redlands softball team upset No. 7 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 3-2, in game one and held a lead midway through game two's 3-4 loss in Friday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown on the road.
After a big play from the Athenas in the bottom of the first, the Bulldogs played most of the game down two runs. Senior second baseman Julianne Rodriguez (Thousand Oaks, CA) and senior catcher Nova Siegel (Fairfield, CA) each singled and then stole a base in the first and second innings respectively, but neither could make it home for a run.
Nonetheless, in the fourth and fifth innings, senior pitcher Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) took care of business in the circle with consecutive 1-2-3 innings to set up the Bulldogs' late-game surge.
Senior shortstop Jordyn Smith (Highland, CA) lifted Redlands with her third home run of the season to make it 1-2 after six.
In the top of the seventh, the Bulldogs worked together to make a crafty game-winning play. Siegel registered an infield single to the shortstop, which allowed first-year first baseman Tyesen Gordon (Lathrop, CA) to use her speed to beat out the throw at second. Meanwhile, both Rodriguez and senior right fielder Jennifer Ng (Pleasanton, CA) sped home on the throw for the go-ahead runs.
To capitalize, Mifsud closed the game with another clean inning to secure the impressive 3-2 victory over the nationally-ranked foe.
Smith went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while Ng hit 2-for-3 and scored the game-tying run. Mifsud pitched a complete game and limited the bats of CMS to just five hits.
In the second game, the Athenas took a 2-0 lead once again, but the Maroon and Gray came back to regain the lead midway through the contest. After Ng continued her momentum with an RBI single in the third inning, the Bulldogs took the lead in the top of the fourth. With first-year pinch runner Jaeden Ells (Yelm, WA) in scoring position, sophomore centerfielder Sam Rivas (Whittier, CA) put down a perfect sacrifice bunt for the run. On the next at-bat, first-year third baseman Jessica Torosian (Thousand Oaks, CA) singled to third base, allowing Gordon to scramble home for the 3-2 advantage.
Unfortunately, the Athenas scored in the fifth and sixth innings and kept the Bulldogs off the board late to escape with a 4-3 win.
Rodriguez batted 3-for-4 and recorded a run as the lead-off hitter. Ng, Rivas, and Torosian each registered an RBI in the effort.
Redlands (15-21, 9-15 SCIAC) returns home for the final time this season for a Senior-Day doubleheader against Cal Lutheran University on Saturday, April 20, at 12 p.m.