The University of Redlands baseball team began its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schedule on Friday afternoon by traveling to Whittier College for a single game against the Poets. With a solid outing from freshman hurler Felix Minjarez (Riverside, CA) and timely hitting, the Bulldogs defeated the Poets by a score of 6-3.
Despite Minjarez's rocky start that allowed three runs in the bottom of the first, the Bulldogs responded in the top of the third inning by capitalizing on opportunity to even the tally. Senior shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) reached on error, sending junior right-fielder Tyler Shreve (Redlands, CA) and sophomore second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) home for a pair of runs. Shortly after, senior center-fielder Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) came around to score on an errant throw from the Poets' catcher in an attempt to punch out a stealing Dresner.
Minjarez settled down on the mound, holding the Poets scoreless through the next seven innings while recording eight strikeouts in a solid performance.
The Bulldogs struck twice during the fourth inning, as junior first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA) drove in sophomore designated hitter Kyle Wallau (San Mateo, CA) after he reached base on a one-out single. Junior third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) followed with a sacrifice groundout to the second baseman, plating Shreve to push the score to 5-3.
The Bulldogs expanded their lead in the top of the sixth when Wallau drove in senior left-fielder Christian Gurrola (Torrance, CA), who led off the inning with a base knock to make it 6-3.
Freshman reliever Noah Jones (San Bernardino, CA) took over for Minjarez in the bottom of the ninth inning and retired all three batters to record the save and secure the SCIAC-opening victory for the Maroon and Gray.
Minjarez (2-0) collected the win after tossing eight strong and dispersing six hits.
Offensively, Franklin finished the day by going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Wallau recorded a 2-for-4 day while driving in one run. Similarly, Shreve notched a 2-for-4 outing and crossed the plate twice.
The Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0 SCIAC) return home to the Yard on Saturday, February 14, to complete a three-game series against the Poets (0-5, 0-1 SCIAC) with a SCIAC doubleheader. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.