The University of Redlands softball team suffered a doubleheader sweep against NAIA’s No. 20 Cal State San Marcos in Saturday’s non-conference showdown. The Bulldogs struggled offensively in the first game and settled for a 1-6 loss to the Cougars. During the nightcap, the Maroon and Gray held an early lead but came up short in eight innings by a score of 3-4.

In game one, the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard in the first inning when senior catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA) doubled to left field to score senior center fielder Kayla Peterson (San Jose, CA) from first base.

However, Cal State San Marcos quickly answered by putting up two runs in each of the first three innings to secure the victory over Redlands.

Neumann provided two of the team’s three hits and the sole RBI.

Senior pitcher Olivia Ellis (Colfax, CA) took the loss from the mound after five innings of work.

Redlands rallied back in the second game by earning runs in the first inning. After Peterson walked, sophomore third baseman Lindsay Henry (Lake Elsinore, CA) homered inside the park to score two runs.

The Bulldogs held the Cougars scoreless through five innings and even posted another run of their own in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Redlands garnered three consecutive singles with junior third baseman Aleisha Martinez (Escondido, CA) scoring from second base on junior designated player Lizett Casilla’s (Pomona, CA) hit.

However, Cal State San Marcos clawed its way back into the game by taking advantage of a Bulldog error and wild pitch to score one during the sixth inning. Redlands then gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh, which tied it at three apiece, and forced another inning.

Despite loading the bases with the help of the international tiebreak and two hits-by-pitch, the Bulldogs failed to convert their opportunities in the eighth inning. The Cougars took care of business and scored the winning run on a single after an intentional walk, resulting in a difficult defeat for Redlands.

Senior pitcher Amanda Doeppel (Monrovia, CA) provided three solid innings of work from the mound, allowing just one hit and no runs. Sophomore Breanna Ruelas (Brawley, CA) came in for four innings but gave up four hits and one earned run for the loss.

Neumann and Casillas recorded two hits each as Henry garnered two RBI for the Bulldogs.

Redlands (1-3) heads to La Sierra University on Friday for a non-conference single game against the Golden Eagles at 2 p.m.