The University of Redlands baseball team erupted for six runs in the third inning and cruised to an 8-3 victory over the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers University – Newark (NJ) on Tuesday afternoon. Garnering at least one hit from every Bulldog in the starting batting lineup, Redlands continued to stay hot at the plate, resulting in the team's fifth win in its last six games.
The Bulldogs struck first and got on the board in the second inning when freshman left-fielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK) laced an RBI double into right field, scoring sophomore designated hitter Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) all the way from first base.
Redlands then began the third frame with consecutive base-hits from sophomore shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) and senior second baseman Jason Henning (Redlands, CA). On Henning's base knock, the ball skipped through the center-fielder's legs, and Dresner took advantage, scoring from first base. After junior center-fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) then reached on a sharp single to the third baseman, Henning crossed the plate when sophomore first baseman Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) got on via a fielder's choice. The Maroon and Gray would go on to take advantage of two more errors committed by the Scarlet Raiders and tally six total runs for the inning.
On the mound for the Bulldogs, junior pitcher Paul Dippel (East Granby, CT) got the start and went four solid innings while allowing just three hits and two runs. Additionally, he struck out a season-best six Rutgers-Newark batters.
Down 2-7 heading into the seventh frame, the Scarlet Raiders pulled one back, but Redlands responded with three hits and one run in the bottom half of the inning to regain the five-score cushion.
Solid bullpen efforts from freshman Reinert Toft (Davis, CA), junior Ross Orman (Corvallis, OR), senior Eliot Smith (West Linn, OR), sophomore Nathaniel Acosta (Chino Hills, CA), and sophomore Josh Makler (Portland, OR) closed the door on any chances Rutgers-Newark might have had. Toft, Orman, Acosta and Makler each allowed zero hits while Makler and Smith recorded two strikeouts apiece.
At the dish for Redlands, Scheiwe registered a team-best three hits while Dresner, Henning and Hancock each recorded two. Additionally, Bowker went 1-for-3 at the plate with a team-leading two RBI.
The Bulldogs (12-10) return to action on Friday, March 29 when they host Chapman University in an important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown. First pitch at The Yard is scheduled for 3 p.m.