The University of Redlands baseball team faced tough pitching on Saturday afternoon in Eagle Rock, and ultimately the Bulldog bats never came alive in a pair of losses against Occidental College. Redlands dropped the opener in seven innings, 3-13, and lost in the nightcap, 0-5.
The Bulldogs jumped on top early in the opener when junior catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) blasted a two-run shot over the right-field fence in the top of the first. The Tigers pulled one back in the bottom half of the frame, but Redlands responded with another run in the top of the second.
Sophomore third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) got things going in that second frame with a double down the left-field line, and sophomore first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA) followed that up with a single to left field, advancing Tumlinson to third. Sophomore left-fielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK) then put down a bunt single, scoring Tumlinson from third.
Occidental erupted in the bottom of the second with five runs, however, and did not look back from there. The Tigers tacked on four runs in the fifth, one in the sixth, and two more in the seventh to eventually result in the 10-run win over the Bulldogs.
Franklin led the way at the plate for the Maroon and Gray with two hits, while McMillan notched one hit and a team-best two RBI.
Errors did not help Redlands' efforts in game one, as six Bulldog mistakes led to six unearned runs for the Tigers.
In the nightcap, the U of R allowed two runs in the second, two in the fourth, and one more in the seventh, resulting in the five-run defeat for Redlands.
Sophomore pitcher Michael Collins (Upland, CA) went the distance on the mound for the Bulldogs, allowing six hits and five runs, only three of which were earned.
As a team, the Maroon and Gray totaled three hits in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) shutout loss.
Redlands (11-20, 10-11 SCIAC) returns to action on Friday, April 11, when it travels to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges for the first of a three-game stint with the Stags. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m.
