After play was postponed on Friday due to rainy conditions, the fourth-seeded University of Redlands baseball team continued Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament action early Saturday morning by resuming first-round play against the top-seeded Occidental College Tigers. After holding a 1-0 lead through the first three innings, the Bulldogs were able to maintain their lead en route to a 2-1 victory. Redlands continued on to play the second-seeded Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen for its second game of the day, but ultimately fell 3-6, despite stringing together a solid performance overall.
In game one, senior hurler Michael Collins (Upland, CA) was awarded the start and was highly effective on the bump by blanking the Tigers' powerful offense through the opening six frames. His efforts were highlighted by striking out the side in the second inning and ultimately denying the opening six batters of reaching base.
Redlands etched the first run of the game in the top of the second inning when sophomore designated hitter Joey Warner (Indio, CA) slid into home on a high, chopping groundball to the pitcher off the bat of senior first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA), grabbing the Bulldogs' lead at 1-0.
Warner continued to make an impact in the ensuing inning by singling through the left side, plating junior center-fielder Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA) for Redlands' 2-0 advantage.
Despite allowing a solo jack on the first pitch of the seventh inning, Collins continued to set the pace by tossing the pearl effectively until finding himself in a jam late in the ninth inning.
Collins gave way to junior closer John White (Burbank, CA) with two runners on in a crucial situation. Despite the pressure, White produced a fly-out and a punch-out en route to the opening-round victory.
Warner led the way with effectiveness at the plate by going 2-for-4 that included an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) notched three hits, while Franklin barreled two.
With the game-one victory, the Bulldogs took on Cal Lutheran with a spot in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship game on the line, following the Kingsmen's victory over the third-seeded Chapman University Panthers on Friday by the score of 6-5.
Cal Lutheran came to play early by putting up four runs through the first three frames, which immediately pressured the Bulldogs.
Redlands was able to trim the deficit down to three runs in the bottom of the third inning, as Scalisi continued to swing a hot stick and doubled down the left-field line, scoring Conci to bring the score to 1-4.
After the Kingsmen answered back in the ensuing inning, the Maroon and Gray displayed some power in the form of Conci, as he parked a two-run blast to left-center field, scoring senior left-fielder Mitch Samson (Orangevale, CA) to make it a 3-5 ballgame.
However, Redlands was unable to make up any further ground en route to a 3-6 defeat.
Conci paced the offense with a 3-for-4 showing, highlighted by the two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Warner continued to make a difference by lining two base-knocks as well.
The Bulldogs (25-15) face off against the Oxy Tigers in an elimination game on Sunday, May 8, at 11 a.m. in Eagle Rock. The winner will advance to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship game in hopes of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.