The University of Redlands softball team nabbed two important victories over regional rival Chapman University on Wednesday night at El Camino Real Park in Orange. The Bulldogs held onto an early 1-0 lead in the first game, eventually winning by a tally of 2-0. The second game saw a more explosive Redlands offense that racked up 13 hits for a 6-1 final.
The Maroon and Gray pitchers combined for four hits and 11 strikeouts on the evening.
In the opener, Redlands gained a run in the second inning when sophomore designated player Breanna Ruelas (Brawley, CA) reached on a fielder's choice that scored senior catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA), who led off the inning with a double to left center.
The Panthers rallied with their only hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth and then took advantage of a Bulldog error. But the Redlands defense responded with a double play to end the inning while extinguishing any scoring hopes for Chapman.
Going into the seventh inning, Redlands held a 1-0 lead and then scored an insurance run when sophomore short stop Kai Masutani (Honolulu, HI) singled to left field to plate Ruelas, capitalizing off of her lead-off triple.
Senior pitcher Olivia Ellis (Colfax, CA) faced just 22 batters in seven innings of work in a one-hit performance while fanning seven. With the win, she improves to 14-4 on the year.
Redlands erupted offensively during the nightcap, cranking out 13 hits and scoring six runs.
The Bulldogs struck in the top of the first when junior first baseman Lizett Casillas (Pomona, CA) provided a sacrifice fly to score senior center fielder Kayla Peterson (San Jose, CA) from third. Peterson led off the inning for the Bulldogs with a single to right field and then advanced on a sacrifice bunt and a fielder's choice.
The Maroon and Gray kept it rolling in the second inning with a two-run performance. With two outs, Masutani and Peterson singled before freshman short stop Kirsten Milliner (Torrance, CA) connected on a triple to right field for two RBI.
Redlands put up one run in each of the subsequent innings, taking a 5-0 lead after four. Sophomore right fielder Kirstie Bender (Lakewood, CA) provided an RBI-single to score senior designated player Amanda Doeppel (Monrovia, CA) from second base. During the fourth inning, Redlands strung together three hits, including a triple by Masutani, who eventually came home on a single by Milliner.
The Bulldogs took advantage of two Panther errors in the top of the seventh, scoring their sixth run of the game. After Bender moved all the way to third on a fielding error, sophomore second baseman Molly Duran (Corona, CA) provided a sacrifice fly to center to bring her home.
Chapman mustered one run in the bottom of the inning but Redlands prevailed by a score of 6-1.
Ruelas earned the win from the circle, scattering just three hits while striking out four.
Milliner led the Bulldog offense by providing three RBI on 2-for-4 batting. Masutani connected on two multi-bag hits and scored twice.
Redlands (24-10, 15-3 SCIAC) returns home on Friday for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader against Whittier College. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Softball "Field of Dreams".