The University of Redlands softball team kicked off its Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schedule on
Saturday, splitting games with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. The
Bulldogs cruised to victory in the first game by a score of 8-2 and
then suffered a tough 1-2 loss in the nightcap.
In game one, Redlands posted at least one run in four different
innings with a three-run explosion coming in the second. After
freshman left fielder Kirstie Bender (Lakewood, CA) was walked and
then advanced to second on a passed ball, she moved to third on a
sacrifice bunt by junior center fielder Kayla Peterson (San Jose,
CA). Freshman short stop Kai Masutani (Honolulu, HI) then singled
to right field to score Bender. Later in the inning with runners in
scoring position, sophomore first baseman Lizett Casillas (Pomona,
CA) connected on a two-RBI single.
Overall, Redlands relied on the steady pitching of junior Olivia
Ellis (Colfax, CA) who threw five innings, striking out two and
allowing only two runs in the win. Junior designated player Amanda
Doeppel (Monrovia, CA) finished out the final two innings and faced
eight batters. On offense, Casillas went 3-for-3 with three RBI,
while Masutani connected on 2-for-3 batting with three RBI and two
runs scored.
The second game of the doubleheader saw a defensive battle between
two talented teams. CMS scored one run in the third inning off of
two well-timed singles. The Athenas later gained the go-ahead run
in the top of the fourth on a single that scored a runner from
second.
Redlands earned one run back in the bottom of the inning as
Casillas led off with a single up the middle. Senior second baseman
Dory Baga (Aiea, HI) moved her over on a sacrifice bunt and then
freshman right fielder Breanna Ruelas (Brawley, CA) scored her off
of a single to right center that she tried to stretch into a
double.
After three scoreless innings, the Bulldogs moved Baga to third
base in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, senior pinch
hitter Roxy Lambert stepped in and fought off a few foul balls
before her hit up the middle fell short and resulted in a routine
ground out to end the game.
Ellis pitched four innings of the second game before senior Lindsey
Horta (Riverside, CA) threw the final three.
Redlands (3-2, 1-1 SCIAC) hosts the University of La Verne in an
important SCIAC doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 12 noon.