
The University of Redlands baseball team tallied four runs in a comeback effort in the ninth inning but it wasn't enough, as the Bulldogs fell to the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, 4-5, on Friday at Alumni Field.
After the Sagehens took a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second inning, they added to their lead in the middle frames by tallying four more runs. Highlighting this effort, right fielder Nick Gentili and pitcher Jake Bruml each homered in the fifth.
Redlands' bats came alive in the ninth inning as senior shortstop Chase Tucker (Poway, CA) led off the frame with a line-drive double to left field. Senior leftfielder Trenton Lively (La Verne, CA) followed suit and broke up the shutout with an RBI-single off the right-field wall.
Junior first baseman Eliot Smith (West Linn, OR) stepped up to the plate with runners on first and second with just one out, slamming a three-run home run down the right-field line to pull the Bulldogs within one.
However, Redlands' rally was cut short as Pomona-Pitzer reliever Guy Stevens recorded the final two outs to end the game.
Smith posted a 2-for-4 effort at the plate with three RBI while recording his fourth homer of the season. He was the only Bulldog with a multi-hit showing. The versatile Smith also pitched 0.2 innings of work, recording one strikeout without allowing a base hit.
Bruml earned the win for Pomona-Pitzer, pitching 8.0 innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits. He also fanned six Bulldogs.
Senior starter Adam Byrd (Bullhead City, AZ) took the loss after surrendering four runs, all earned, in 5.0 innings of work.
Redlands hosts Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe Caltech on Saturday at The Yard. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.