The University of Redlands softball team headed to Cal Lutheran this morning for a 12 noon and 2 p.m. Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader in Thousand Oaks. The killer combination of stealthy pitching and stellar offense was in full effect for the Bulldogs taking the games by final scores of 6-1 and a shortened inning 11-1 victory.
The Maroon and Gray struck first in game one by putting up a crooked number in the top of the second on four hits. With the bases loaded and one out, sophomore third baseman Madison Alves (Kingsburg, CA) drove a bases-clearing double to left to go up 3-0.
Cal Lutheran threatened in the bottom of that inning with a run on a pair of singles with two Regals still on base and no outs. But a heads-up play by senior pitcher Danielle Stallings (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) caught the runner on second in a pickle for the first out. She then regrouped to focus on the batter and subsequently struck out the next two hitters to limit the damage to just one run.
Fast forward to the sixth inning, after a walk and a base hit, sophomore catcher Megan Watkins (Beaumont, CA) sent a two-RBI double to the right-center gap to extend their lead to 5-1.
Stallings got it done from the circle and the plate by adding one more run on an RBI single to center field in the seventh. She pitched lights out in the bottom of the seventh for her fourth strikeout to secure the 6-1 win.
The Bulldogs returned for game two, all cylinders firing, by putting up 11 runs in a shortened, six-inning game.
In the first inning of game two, junior shortstop Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA) led off with a walk and subsequently stole second. Now with two outs, sophomore first baseman Madeline Gonzalez (Colton, CA) sent a single right back up the middle for a quick 1-0 Redlands advantage.
The Maroon and Gray added four more on five hits in the top of the third. First-year second baseman Collette Allen (Sierra Madre, CA) and Watkins hit a single and a double, respectively, for two RBI each.
Two innings later, Allen led off with a solo shot to deep center field to extend the lead to 6-1.
But Redlands was not done there, the visiting team busted the game wide open in the top of the sixth by adding five runs on three hits and one CLU miscue. Watkins led off with a double which was followed by a walk and hit-by-pitch to load the bases. After a run and a couple of batters, Allen laced a ball that hugged the right-field line for a bases-clearing triple and three RBI. She was sent home on first-year designated player Rylie Barber's (San Ramon, CA) subsequent double for an 11-1 lead.
Redlands' pitching cruised through the bottom of the sixth to secure the shortened game victory.
Allen finished the day going 5-for-8 with three runs and six RBI while Watkins registered a 4-for-5 stat line with two runs and four RBI.
The Bulldogs (8-4, 8-0 SCIAC) welcome the Regals to the Field of Dreams for the series finale in a single game on Sunday at 2 p.m.