The University of Redlands baseball team faced East Coast opponent, Wesleyan University (CT), on an overcast Tuesday afternoon at The Yard. Although the Bulldogs put up three runs, the visiting team took an early lead and never looked back, eventually handing the Bulldogs a 3-6 loss.
Junior pitcher Noah Jones (San Bernardino, CA) was handed the pearl for the Tuesday contest.
After the Cardinals loaded the bases in the top of the second, senior third basemen Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) perfectly fielded the subsequent groundout with a well-timed toss to home to keep Wesleyan off the board. Unfortunately, the visiting team was unfazed by his stellar defense and put up two runs to force the Bulldogs into an early hole.
In the top of the fourth with two outs, junior right fielder Jordan Babbitt (Highland, CA) launched a double to left center to set up junior designated hitter Joey Warner's (Indio, CA) following at-bat. Warner immediately traded places with Babbit for the Bulldogs' first run of the game.
Unfortunately for Redlands, the Cardinals extended their lead to 5-1 in the top of the fifth. Redlands tried to close the gap in the bottom half of that inning by plating one run. Junior second basemen Will Hall (Seattle, WA) led off with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on an error. Scalisi then lined a single up the middle, allowing Hall to score easily.
The Cardinals added one more in the top of the seventh for a 6-2 advantage. With time running out, Redlands attempted the comeback in the bottom of the seventh but successfully added only one run. Hall led off with a base knock, which was followed by a single and a fielder's choice that sent him home.
The Maroon and Gray also added baserunners in the bottom of the ninth off of another Hall single and a walk. But the Cardinals made a quick pitching change to secure the last two outs and the 6-3 victory.
Hall went 3-for-4 at the dish, scored two runs, and stole a base. Redlands used five pitchers in the contest, with senior John White (Burbank, CA) going in to shut down the top of the ninth. He struck out two of the three outs.
Redlands (14-10) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action by hosting the Caltech Beavers on Friday, March 24, for a 3 p.m. game.