The University of Redlands baseball squad continued its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) journey by traveling to Orange to play out a doubleheader against the Chapman University Panthers on Saturday. The Bulldogs used solid pitching to earn a split against the Panthers, losing the first game, 0-1, and winning the second, 3-2.
All three games of the Chapman-Redlands series were decided by only one run each.
In Saturday's opener, freshman hurler Matthew Acosta (San Bernardino, CA) was handed the start and dominated the majority of the contest. The rookie went the distance by tossing eight innings while scattering five hits and allowing only one run. In addition, he fanned five batters in a solid outing.
Offensively, the Bulldogs faced challenges by only stringing together five hits while stranding six runners on base throughout the contest.
In five out of nine innings, the Maroon and Gray's leadoff man successfully reached base, with two such opportunities coming from senior catcher Sean McMillan (Redwood City, CA).
Chapman was able to push across one run in the bottom of the seventh inning and then held on for the tight win in a true pitchers' duel.
Despite one of Acosta's best efforts that kept the Bulldogs within striking distance, he picked up the loss.
In the nightcap, junior pitcher Michael Collins (Upland, CA) was slotted for the start and provided a phenomenal performance through all nine innings. Despite giving up a run in the second and fourth innings, the veteran pitched his guts out by holding the Panthers' offense to just seven hits through nine innings.
Redlands tacked on a run in the fourth inning after facing a one-run deficit, as senior outfielder Connor Hancock (Burbank, CA) crossed the plate off the bat of junior first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA).
The Maroon and Gray charged ahead by a score of 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning. Sophomore second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) got things rolling by launching a sacrifice fly to left field to plate junior first baseman John Keane (Clayton, CA). Junior third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) then poked a single to right field, scoring sophomore center-fielder Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA) from second after he connected on a double.
From that moment on, it was smooth sailing for Collins, as he utilized his defense to the maximum and slammed the door in the late innings en route to a 3-2 Bulldog victory.
Collins earned the win in his complete-game effort after scattering seven hits and giving up two runs, one of which was unearned.
Tumlinson notched a 3-for 5 showing with an RBI, while Hancock went 1-for-3 on the day with a double and a run scored.
The Bulldogs (17-9, 10-8 SCIAC) travel to Pasadena on Friday, April 3, to face off against the Caltech Beavers (2-22, 0-15 SCIAC) in a single game at 3 p.m.