After two days of rainouts, the University of Redlands baseball team was back on the field on Sunday, taking on Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, at The Yard. Two early deficits for the U of R put the squad in holes it could not climb out of, resulting in losses of 7-11 in game one, and 4-14 in the nightcap.
Redlands fell behind in the opener, 0-6, after just the first two frames. In the bottom of the second inning, Bulldog senior designated-hitter Max Hardman (Encinitas, CA) blasted a solo homerun over the right-field fence to get the Maroon and Gray on the board.
The Sagehens extended the advantage to 8-1, but Redlands pulled two runs back in the sixth with both junior catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) and Hardman recording RBI in the frame.
Pomona-Pitzer tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh to make it a 10-3 game, but the U of R did not back down and continued to fight back, scoring four more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Freshman second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) and senior center-fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) both ripped RBI singles in the big inning, helping bring the Bulldogs to within striking distance.
That would be all Redlands could muster, however, as Pomona-Pitzer scored once more, resulting in the four-run defeat for the U of R.
In the game, Scheiwe led the way at the plate for the Maroon and Gray, going 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored, while sophomore left-fielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK) tallied two hits and one run scored.
In game two of the day, the Bulldogs surrendered three early runs, and by the third inning were down 0-4. After the tough first frame, U of R sophomore pitcher Michael Collins (Upland, CA) settled in and threw five innings overall, allowing four runs, only two of which were earned.
Redlands began to mount a comeback in the fifth frame, racking up three runs to get to within one of the Sagehens. Scalisi raked an RBI triple in the frame, while Bowker tallied an RBI single and junior shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) recorded a sacrifice-fly.
Pomona-Pitzer answered with a three-spot of its own in the next half inning, however, and then in the eighth frame, tacked on seven more runs, ultimately proving to be enough in the 10-run triumph over the Bulldogs in eight innings.
For Redlands, both Scheiwe and Hardman tied for the team lead with two hits apiece, while a slew of players notched one hit on the afternoon.
Leading the way for the Sagehens was sophomore first baseman Simon Rosenbaum (Los Altos, CA), as he racked up an 8-for-8 performance over the course of the two games with 10 RBI and five runs scored.
The U of R (4-9, 4-4 SCIAC) returns to action tomorrow when it finishes the series with Pomona-Pitzer on the road. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
