The University of Redlands baseball team pounded out 11 runs on as many hits Saturday afternoon at The Yard en route to an 11-2 victory over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe Caltech to close out conference play.
The Bulldogs did not waste any time, tallying three runs in the bottom of the first inning by taking advantage of a throwing error on Caltech. The miscue allowed senior left fielder Trenton Lively (La Verne, CA) and freshman center fielder Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) to score after the pair reached on back-to-back singles.
The Maroon and Gray broke the game open in the fifth inning when the Bulldogs sent nine men to the plate and recorded five runs in the frame. Freshman third baseman Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) got the offensive tear started when he laced a bases-clearing double to right-center field, which scored Lively, Hancock, and junior right fielder Marcus Himelhoch (Portland, OR). Senior first baseman Jon Cavender (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) followed with an RBI-double of his own and later scored on a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Landon McMath (Riverside, CA) to cap the five-run inning.
With a 9-2 lead, Redlands added another pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth on a walk to pinch hitter Nathaniel Acosta (Chino Hills, CA) which was followed by a triple to the left-center field gap off the bat of third baseman Sam Johnson (Apple Valley, CA), who later scored on a wild pitch.
Senior right-hander Josh Snyder (Denver, CO) earned the win in a predetermined 2.0-inning start in which he allowed just one run on two hits in his outing.
The Beavers' starter Derek Kearney absorbed the loss after tossing 5.0 innings, allowing nine runs, six of which were earned, on nine hits.
Himelhoch finished the contest with a 1-for-2 showing with three RBI, two runs scored, and a walk. McMillan also went 1-for-2, notching four RBI, one run, and one walk. Lively posted a 3-for-5 showing with a pair of runs scored, while Hancock went 2-for-3 with three runs.
Redlands returns to The Yard on Friday, May 4, in its last regular-season home contest of the season when it hosts Chapman University in non-conference action. The Redlands seniors will be honored prior to the contest, which begins at 3 p.m.