The University of Redlands baseball team tied its season high with 17 runs on Monday afternoon, powering past the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens on the road in a 17-10 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) victory. With five Bulldogs racking up at least three hits on the afternoon, the Maroon and Gray blasted four homeruns en route to the important win over the Sagehens.
After a scoreless first frame, the Bulldog bats erupted in the second inning when junior right-fielder Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) launched a homerun over the right-centerfield wall to get the U of R on the board first. A couple of batters later, sophomore left-fielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK) laid down an RBI bunt with the bases loaded to put the Bulldogs up 2-0. Senior center-fielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) later capped off the six-run frame with a two-RBI single.
The Maroon and Gray tacked on two more in the fourth, and then one more in the fifth to take a commanding 9-0 advantage. Pomona-Pitzer tried to start a rally, however, scoring two in the bottom of the fifth inning. Then, with the bases loaded and only one out in that frame, Bulldog sophomore third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) made a great individual play by catching a line drive and then turning it into a double play by getting the runner at third base out, ending any rally the Sagehens had at that time.
U of R junior catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) registered the next homerun for Redlands in the sixth inning, bringing the momentum back to the road squad. Later in the frame, senior designated-hitter Max Hardman (Encinitas, CA) blasted a three-run shot over the right-field fence, putting the U of R up, 13-2.
The Bulldogs tacked on one more in the seventh, but the Sagehens fought back again, this time scoring seven runs and cutting the deficit to just five in the bottom half of the seventh. They then cut Redlands' lead to just four after scoring again in the eighth inning, but that was where the Bulldogs would put a stop to the comeback.
In the top of the ninth, the Maroon and Gray tallied three insurance runs, with the finale coming on the Bulldogs' fourth homer of the contest, and Hancock's second of the game when he crushed the ball over the center-field wall to put Redlands up, 17-10.
Not only were the 17 runs tied for a season-best for the Bulldogs, but Redlands' 22 hits and four homeruns were both also season-highs.
Hancock registered a 4-for-6 performance at the plate with three RBI and three runs scored, while freshman second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) also racked up four hits, while tallying one RBI and crossing the plate three times. Scheiwe finished 3-for-6 at the dish with a pair of RBI and runs scored, while both Hardman and junior shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) registered three hits apiece as well. In addition, McMillan finished 1-for-5 at the plate with a team-best four RBI.
On the mound, junior pitcher Josh Makler (Portland, OR) performed very well, going 6.1 innings and allowing five runs while striking out two Sagehen batters in the win. Both freshman pitcher Hayden Haight (Redlands, CA) and Tumlinson came on in relief late in the contest and helped secure the triumph, as neither gave up an earned run while Tumlinson did not allow a hit.
The Bulldogs (5-9, 5-4 SCIAC) return to the field on Friday when they travel to Thousand Oaks to take on Cal Lutheran University. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.