The No. 11 University of Redlands softball team cruised past Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) in a doubleheader on Friday afternoon, winning both contests in five innings. The Bulldogs posted an 8-0 effort in the opener and then dominated the nightcap by a score of 10-2.
Game one saw the Maroon and Gray jump on top early, tallying three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman catcher Dani Santos (West Covina, CA) registered the big hit of the frame, belting a two-out double to right field to score two base-runners.
The Bulldogs tacked on a run in both the second and third innings before racking up three more in the bottom of the fifth, ending game one. In the fifth and decisive inning, freshman first baseman Tori Santos (West Covina, CA) and freshman right-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) both recorded RBI.
Starting in the circle in the opener for Redlands, senior pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) gave the Maroon and Gray two impressive innings of work while allowing no runs and no hits. Making her first appearance of her collegiate career, freshman pitcher Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) then came in for Uphold in relief to begin the third inning. Henson shined in her debut, allowing just one hit while striking out two over the course of three innings . For her efforts, Henson earned the victory.
Freshman left-fielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA) registered a two-hit performance, while junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) scored a team-best three runs in the opener.
In the nightcap, Clark led off the first frame with a double to right field. Two batters later, senior center-fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) hit a sacrifice fly to center, plating Clark to give Redlands the early advantage.
After the Ducks pulled one back in the top of the second, U of R freshman shortstop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) began the bottom half of the inning with a triple to right field. D. Santos followed that up with an RBI-double to right field, scoring King. Sophomore third baseman Linda Park (Torrance, CA) then ripped an RBI-single through the right side to score Santos and extend the lead to 3-1.
Stevens tallied one more in the top of the third, but that would be all it would get for the game, as the Bulldogs scored seven runs over the final three innings of the contest, sealing the victory.
For the game, Beeman went 2-for-2 at the plate to go along with a team-leading three RBI. D. Santos also provided a spectacular effort at the dish, going 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Sophomore pitcher Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) picked up the win in game two, throwing five strong innings while dispersing six hits and allowing just two runs.
Additionally, the Bulldogs' defense was stellar all day long, not committing an error in either of the triumphs.
The Maroon and Gray (14-4) returns to action on Saturday when it takes on Chapman University in a showdown between the top-two teams in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings. First pitch of the doubleheader at the Softball "Field of Dreams" is scheduled for 12 noon.