The No. 15 University of Redlands softball team swept the Regals of Cal Lutheran University on Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 6-1 win in the opener, while rallying to earn an 8-5 victory in game two. With the triumph, the Bulldogs remain the only undefeated team in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).
Another quick start propelled the Maroon and Gray to the win in game one, as after the first inning, Redlands led 4-0. After junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) led off the inning by being hit by a pitch, senior center-fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) lined a sharp double into left field. Sophomore designated hitter Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) then hit a sacrifice fly to right field, plating Clark on the play.
A couple of batters later, with runners at first and third, freshman shortstop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) blasted a triple into the right-center field gap, bringing home both base runners for the Bulldogs. Freshman first baseman Tori Santos (West Covina, CA) capped off the first frame with a nice single to left field, scoring King and giving the Bulldogs the early four-run advantage.
The Bulldogs tacked on another run in the fifth inning when Beeman notched her second double of the game, scoring Clark on the play. Clark continued her impressive offensive performance by ripping an RBI double to left field in the bottom half of the sixth inning to bring Redlands right-fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA) in to score.
From the circle for the U of R, senior pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) threw another phenomenal game, going all seven innings while allowing just one earned run in the sixth frame. In the win, she scattered three hits while striking out four Regal batters.
The second contest of the doubleheader saw the Bulldogs fall behind early, giving up a run to Cal Lutheran in each of the first three innings. Redlands responded in the bottom half of the third, however, by scoring two runs of its own. In that frame, U of R freshman third baseman Addie Oeleis (Temecula, CA) led off with a double to left field and freshman left-fielder AJ Carrasco followed that up with a single to right field. Clark then smacked another RBI single through the right side, getting the Bulldogs on the board. Two batters later, Sharp came up with a clutch RBI single to center field, cutting the deficit to just one.
Unable to score in the fourth, the Bulldogs swung a hot bat in the fifth and took a 5-3 lead thanks to some timely hitting. With two runners on base, Beeman laced a triple to right field, scoring both runners. She then came in to score on a wild pitch during the next at-bat, extending the advantage to two runs.
The hot hitting continued in the sixth for Redlands, and Sharp registered the big base-hit for the Bulldogs, scoring two runners to make it a 7-3 game. Sophomore first baseman Linda Park (Torrance, CA) finished the inning off for the Maroon and Gray with an RBI single to right field, giving the U of R some breathing room.
The Regals pulled two runs back in the top of the seventh, but got no closer, as Redlands held on for the 8-5 triumph.
Sharp picked up the win for the Bulldogs, pitching three innings while dispersing four hits and allowing two unearned runs. She also finished with a team-high three hits and three RBI in game two, helping Redlands rally and come back from the early deficit.
Additionally, King, Oeleis and Beeman each finished the second game with a pair of hits.
The Maroon and Gray (10-2, 6-0 SCIAC) returns to action on Sunday when it takes on the Leopards of the University of La Verne in another SCIAC doubleheader. First pitch at the "Field of Dreams" is set to begin at 12 noon.
