REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Baseball team (11-13, 3-8) dropped both games of their doubleheader with Chapman University Saturday afternoon 6-4 and 7-2. The Bulldogs held a 4-1 lead after seven in the first game before allowing five runs in the final two innings, including four in the ninth. Then in game two the Bulldogs never led as they saw Chapman pick up the sweep.
Game 1 (L, 6-4)
Esteban Nakashima (Riverside, CA) started the scoring off for UR on a chopper over the third baseman and down the left field line as Luke De Vries (Irvine, CA) scored to make it 1-0.
After Chapman tied the game at one in the second, Redlands picked up three runs to take a 4-1 lead in the fifth. Kaiya Saito (Bellevue, WA) singled through the five/six hole as Nakashima and Max Clark (Fontana, CA) came around to make it 3-1, two more runs than they had in nine innings on Friday.
Later in the fifth, Sebastian Mejorado (Oceanside, CA) doubled in Jake Burgess (Riverside, CA) for a three-run advantage, 4-1.
The Bulldogs' great start went the wrong way as the Panthers got a run back on a single in the eighth. Then in the ninth with the bases empty and two outs, Chapman rallied with a pair of singles and scored once to make it a one-run game, 4-3.
Redlands had a chance to get out of the jam and pick-up the win, but an error extended the inning and put runners on the corners. The next three hitters all reached with another three runs scoring as the two-run lead turned into a two-run deficit.
In the bottom half of the ninth Redlands stranded the tying runners at second and third as they lost 6-4.
Nathan Buchan (Mercer Island, WA) had a great start leaving the game with the no decision after going 7.0 Innings giving up one run on three hits along with six strikeouts. Patrick Perez was charged with the loss, his second of the season after throwing 0.2 innings giving up four runs on (one earned) on five hits. Mejorado finished the game going 2-for-4 with an RBI, Nakashima was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI and Clark was 1-for-4 scoring once.
Game 2 (L, 7-2)
The Bulldogs trailed in Game 2 from the top half of the first falling behind 2-0. In the second inning, Omar Barraza (San Mateo, CA) singled down the right field line plating Mejorado, who reached earlier on a double down the left field line to cut the deficit to one, 2-1.
Chapman combined for five runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings as Redlands trailed by six, 7-1, heading into the bottom of the eighth. That same inning, Will Cell (Seattle, WA) was able to launch a solo home run to left center for the Bulldogs' final run of the game in a 7-2 loss.
After reaching base three times in game one, De Vries singled twice in the contest. Cell's home run is the second of his career and on the mound Julian Zuniga (San Diego, CA) finished the game off with two shutout innings and two strikeouts.
Redlands will take a break from Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition as they take on Vanguard University on the road this Tuesday, April 4 beginning at 2:00pm.