The No. 17 University of Redlands baseball team dropped a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game to No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges by a 2-9 final Friday afternoon at The Yard in Redlands.
The loss snaps Redlands' nine-game win streak.
Pomona-Pitzer's David Colvin nearly went the distance on the mound and held the Bulldog bats in check when it mattered most. Redlands finished the afternoon 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and batted just 3-for-21 with runners on base.
The Sagehens scored early when Mike Moyer touched home on a single by James Kang in the top of the first.
Senior pitcher Michael Lessig (Fountain Hills, AZ) battled with the Sagehens in the second and third, keeping the score at 1-0. Senior shortstop Zack Braband (Alameda, CA) chalked up the Bulldogs' first hit of the contest in the third when he battled through an 11-pitch at bat and ripped a double to centerfield.
Pomona-Pitzer doubled its lead in the fourth, using a sacrifice fly by Kyle Pokorny to drive in Erik Munzer. Moyer scored on a groundout in the fifth, before Teddy Bingham broke open the game with a two-run homer in the sixth. Two more came across for the Sagehens in the top of the seventh before Redlands finally touched up Colvin for two runs in the home half of the frame. Braband pushed across the Bulldogs' first run with a double down the rightfield line before coming home on a fielding error by the shortstop in the ensuing at bat.
Kang plated one more in the eighth before Bingham stroked his second round-tripper of the tilt with a solo shot in the ninth.
Lessig lasted 5 2/3 innings, yielding five runs, three of which were earned, off seven hits and three walks. Lessig also struck out one and drops to 6-2 on the year with the loss. Sophomore pitcher Jeff Cashmer (Cherry Valley, CA) tossed a third of an inning in relief and allowed two runs off two hits before handing the ball off to sophomore pitcher Brock Jacobo (Yuma, AZ). Jacobo scattered three hits and yielded one run over two frames while striking out one. Sophomore pitcher Josh Snyder (Denver, CO) threw the entirety of the ninth and surrendered Bingham's second home run of the game.
Colvin pitched brilliantly, throwing 115 pitches over eight innings of work. He allowed two runs, one of which was earned, off six hits and four walks. In addition, Colvin posted the game-high in strikeouts with four. Travis Rooke-Ley took over in the ninth and held the Bulldogs scoreless despite yielding two hits.
Offensively, Braband inspired the Redlands attack, going 3-for-4 with one run scored, one RBI and two doubles. Kang and Munzer each went 3-for-4 to lead the Sagehens, while Bingham collected three RBI off his two homers.
Redlands (24-4, 16-3 SCIAC) looks to rebound tomorrow when it travels to Alumni Stadium in Claremont for a SCIAC doubleheader against the Sagehens (14-5, 18-1 SCIAC). The first pitch of game one is slated for 11 a.m.