The University of Redlands baseball team traveled to Eagle Rock to square off against the University of Puget Sound (WA) in a non-conference, in-region showdown on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs battled back throughout the game to finally overtake the Loggers in the bottom of the ninth and secure the exciting 7-6 victory.
After senior right-fielder Christian Gurrola (Torrance, CA) provided an RBI-single in the bottom of the first, Redlands was forced to play catch-up throughout the rest of the game, as UPS scored two runs in each the third, fourth, and fifth innings.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the fifth by putting up a four-spot off of four hits and a costly Logger miscue. With two outs, junior second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) singled through the left side to initiate the rally, before Gurrola added to the opportunity with another single. After senior third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) blasted a single up the middle to plate Scalisi, junior left-fielder Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA) uncorked a double that pushed Gurrola across, but a throwing error on the UPS pitcher allowed two more runs to score on the same play to make it a 5-6 ball game.
Finally, Redlands snagged the victory with a two-run showing in the bottom of the ninth, which began with back-to-back singles by Scalisi and Gurrola again. After Tumlinson moved the runners over on a sacrifice bunt and the Loggers intentionally walked Conci to load the bases, senior first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA) brought in the game-tying score on a walk. Freshman Brendan Moore (Murrieta, CA) stepped up to the plate as a pinch-hitter to successfully do his job of providing a sacrifice fly, which allowed sophomore pinch-runner Nick Ono (Yorba Linda, CA) to touch home for the win.
Senior pitcher John Keane (Clayton, CA) earned the start for the Bulldogs and lasted four innings, before giving way to the bullpen. Sophomore Rainier Aguilar (San Bernardino, CA), sophomore Adam Stead (Rialto, CA), and junior John White (Burbank, CA) provided integral innings for the Maroon and Gray, with White ultimately collecting the win. Stead impressed in his two-frame effort that included five strikeouts and no hits or runs.
Gurrola finished the day with a 3-for-4 performance at the dish, while Scalisi was 2-for-4. Conci provided the only other multi-hit showing with a 2-for-3 day.
Redlands (24-11) currently sits third in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings but must wait for the final series to take place this weekend for many teams. The Bulldogs' schedule for the SCIAC Final Four will depend on where they end up in the conference standings.