The University of Redlands baseball team continued competing in the third annual Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament on Saturday in Thousand Oaks. After Friday's win over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, the Bulldogs moved on to face the No. 4-seeded University of La Verne Leopards, who had upset the top-seeded Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen in the first round. The Bulldogs struggled against the Leopards and came up short in a tight 2-5 decision. This loss forced the Maroon and Gray to quickly return to the field for an elimination match-up against the No. 1-seeded Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen. Due to a slow start on all fronts, Redlands suffered a 3-9, season-ending loss to the Kingsmen.
Against the Leopards, the Bulldogs wasted no time jumping on the board in the top of the first inning, as senior shortstop Jordan Dresner (Etiwanda, CA) lined a single to center field, scoring sophomore second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA), who led off with a single.
Freshman pitcher Felix Minjarez (Riverside, CA) climbed the hill for the start and struck out two batters to preserve the lead in the bottom of the first frame.
Despite the quick scoring start, the Bulldogs surrendered three runs in the following frame after allowing two base-hits and committing some costly errors.
Amidst Redlands' early-game woes, Minjarez continued to battle on the mound by holding the Leopards off the board for the subsequent three innings.
Freshman reliever Noah Jones (San Bernardino, CA) entered the game with two outs in the sixth inning, but allowed one run to cross the plate, as the Leopards expanded their lead to three at 4-1.
The Bulldogs attempted a rally in the top of the seventh inning, with Scalisi producing an RBI-infield-single to trim the Leopard lead to two. Junior outfielder Mitch Samson (Orangevale, CA) and freshman designated hitter Joey Warner (Indio, CA) led off the inning with back-to-back singles, setting up the run-scoring opportunity for the Maroon and Gray.
However, the Bulldogs left seven runners on base, resulting in the 2-5 defeat that sent them into the elimination game.
Scalisi and Dresner each finished the game with a 2-for-4 showing and an RBI.
After falling to the Leopards, the Bulldogs took on the top-seeded Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen, who had lost to La Verne on Friday but prevailed over the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens on Saturday morning.
The Bulldogs' woes continued into their second game of the day, as the Kingsmen put up a two-spot in the opening frame.
Redlands responded in the following inning when sophomore center-fielder Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA) singled through the left side, plating senior right-fielder Connor Hancock to make it a one-run game.
Freshman starter Matthew Acosta (San Bernardino, CA) struggled throughout the contest while giving up five runs in five innings pitched.
The Kingsmen continued to swing a mighty stick, highlighted by a four-run, top-of-the-fifth-inning to grab a 7-1 lead.
The Maroon and Gray strung together some offense during the latter half of the game, as Hancock laced a single to left field to score McMillan in the bottom of the sixth inning. In addition, McMillan notched an RBI-single to left field in the seventh, which scored junior first baseman John Keane (Clayton, CA).
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome the deficit, falling to the Kingsmen by a score of 3-9.
Redlands completed the 2015 season with a 28-14 overall record and a 20-8 mark in SCIAC to tie for second place.