The No. 19 University of Redlands baseball team proved itself among top competition as it defeated a Collegiate Baseball top-30 team for the fourth time this season as the Bulldogs topped No. 4 Kean University (NJ) on Tuesday, 8-5, in Redlands.

Kean jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first as a Michael Moceri hit drove in D.J. Breckenridge on a misplayed ball by the pitcher.

In the bottom of the inning, however, Redlands responded as the team scored two runs on three hits. Senior outfielder/catcher Kyle Rizzo (Redlands, CA) tripled to left center before senior infielder Tony Stutevoss (Portland, OR) batted him in with a single up the middle. Stutevoss advanced to second on a groundout to the second baseman, putting him in position to score. Senior outfielder Cory Vane (Simi Valley, CA) then pulled a shot down the leftfield line, scoring Stutevoss.

The Bulldogs erupted for three runs in the third as senior outfielder Matt Goldstein (Lincoln, CA) drove in two-thirds of the inning’s runs when he ripped his sixth triple of the season to right center.

Redlands struck again in the fifth as Stutevoss lifted a solo shot over the rightfield wall, giving the Maroon and Gray a comfortable 6-3 advantage. A two-run seventh that included runs by junior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR) and Stutevoss added to the lead as the Bulldogs firmly sat in the driver’s seat.

Kean battled back in the top of the eighth, however, when Moceri, Lee Cavico and Gabe Ramirez all got on board with no outs. Senior pitcher Kevin Bissell (Orange, CA) punched out two batters before Dylan Laguna singled down the leftfield line, plating Moceri and Cavico. Bissell halted the rally by forcing Breckenridge to ground out to Stutevoss for the third out of the inning.

Senior pitcher/first baseman Nolan Nicholson (Fullerton, CA) got the ball at the start of the game for the Maroon and Gray and held his own against the Cougar offense, allowing just two runs on five hits in six innings of work. Freshman pitcher Josh Snyder (Englewood, CO) and Bissell each pitched an inning in relief before sophomore pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) shut the door on the contest by closing his fifth game of the season.

Stutevoss had a remarkably productive afternoon, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs. J. Johnson, Vane and Goldstein also did their part in contributing to the win, compiling two hits and two RBI apiece. With two hits, Vane has extended his hitting streak to nine games.

Redlands (13-4, 6-0 SCIAC) kicks off the California Invitational with a 2:30 p.m. game against Whittier College on Friday at the Memorial Baseball Field in Whittier.