The University of Redlands baseball team faced off against the St. Katherine College Firebirds in a non-conference showdown on Friday afternoon at the Yard. The Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to three after swinging strong bats and displaying solid pitching en route to a 13-3 victory.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Bulldogs got on the board after senior first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA) slapped a double down the right-field line to score senior third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA), who had reached on an error. Junior left-fielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK) located the gap with a missile off the bat that landed him on third with a triple, scoring Franklin from second. Junior right-fielder Mitch Samson (Orangevale, CA) joined the hit parade by dropping a single to left center-field to score Bowker, giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 advantage after an inning of play.
Freshman pitcher Matthew Acosta (San Bernardino, CA) got the nod for the Bulldogs, making his first collegiate start. After giving up one run in the top of the first inning, he settled down nicely by working low in the zone to receive a clutch, inning-ending double play in the top of the third.
Senior slugger Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA) led off the bottom of the frame with a laser up the middle for a single. Sophomore catcher Kyle Wallau (San Mateo, CA) wore a pitch off his elbow to grant the Maroon and Gray runners on first and second with nobody out. Following a Tumlinson sacrifice-bunt to move the runners into scoring position, Franklin knocked in McMillan with a groundball to the shortstop.
The outfield combo of Bowker and Samson came up clutch following Franklin's RBI, as they each notched hits to push the lead to 6-1 in Redlands' favor.
Acosta continued to toss a strong game by throwing a solid five innings while striking out three batters.
The Bulldogs continued to remain red-hot at the dish, as they pushed across a combined seven runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh frames.
Franklin notched his fourth RBI of the contest by barreling up a triple that sailed into the gap to score Tumlinson and Wallau after they both led off the fifth inning with hits. Samson followed by poking a single up the middle to score Franklin.
In the bottom of the sixth, sophomore shortstop Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA) found his way on base via hit-by-pitch and later came around to score on a dead-center double by McMillan. Tumlinson sent McMillan home two batters later after finding grass for a single to left field.
Freshman outfielder Nick Ono (Yorba Linda, CA) put the icing on the cake with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring freshman infielder Will Hall (Seattle, WA), who singled through the right side.
The bullpen consisting of freshmen Rainier Aguilar (San Bernardino, CA), Noah Jones (San Bernardino, CA), and Adam Stead (Rialto, CA) dealt against the Firebirds by giving up a combined three hits while not allowing a single run to cross the plate.
Aguilar notched two strikeouts in two innings, while Stead fanned two batters in one inning of work.
By the final out, the Maroon and Gray had notched 16 hits in a 13-3 rout over the St. Katherine Firebirds.
Acosta (1-0) recorded his first collegiate victory on the mound. The Bulldog offense was firing on all cylinders, with Franklin serving as the big bat of the day by going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple to total four RBI. Samson finished the day going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Bowker notched a 2-for-4 day with a double and triple to equal two RBI.
Following this weekend's alumni festivities, the Bulldogs (3-0) begin Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Friday, February 13, by traveling to Whittier College to face the Poets in a 2:30 p.m. showdown.