The sixth-ranked University of Redlands softball team continued its hot streak by taking two victories from Northwest Conference opponent, Willamette University (OR), on Saturday. The Bulldogs downed the Bearcats by a score of 9-1 after five innings in the opener and then captured an 8-3 win in the nightcap to extend their winning streak to an impressive 16 games.
In game one, the Bulldogs roughed up the Bearcats early, scoring three in the first inning for a lead they never relinquished.
The Maroon and Gray cranked out 13 hits in the game, with each of the top-eight hitters connecting on at least one.
Redlands' four-through-six batters did most of the damage as highlighted by freshman right fielder Amanda Lievanos' (Anaheim, CA) game-high three hits. She also scored once and accounted for two RBI.
In addition, sophomore center fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) recorded her fourth long ball of the season.
Sophomore starting pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) collected her team-leading 10th victory in 2011, going four strong innings while giving up only one hit to the Bearcats.
UR followed up its game-one performance by taking down Willamette in similar fashion during the nightcap. The Bulldogs jumped out to another 3-0 lead after one inning and then put the game out of reach in the fifth with a four-run spurt.
Although the Bearcats rallied for two scores in the top of the sixth, Redlands' victory was never in question.
With the pitching combination of junior Breanna Ruelas (Brawley, CA), and freshmen Gabrielle Sciuto (Poway, CA) and Rachael Hachadorian (San Diego, CA), the Maroon and Gray kept Willamette at bay by allowing only two hits in the contest.
Beeman enjoyed a monster game for the Bulldogs, going 4-for-4 at the plate while recording three RBI in the process.
Redlands (21-1) faces top-ranked Linfield College (OR) in Sunday's important regional showdown at the "Field of Dreams." The first pitch is set for 12 noon with a possibility of moving game time to 10 a.m. in order to avoid issues with likely rain.