The No. 14 University of Redlands softball team stunned 12th-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Friday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader by taking two from the first-place Athenas at the Softball "Field of Dreams." The Bulldogs battled through a pitchers' duel to prevail in game one, 2-1, before firing off a 14-5 effort in the night cap.
During the opener, the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the third inning with aggressive base-running, as junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) crossed home plate from second when the defense tried to throw out senior center fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA) on a seemingly routine ground-out play. But Beeman beat out the throw and then Clark took advantage of opportunity by sliding under the tag on the secondary defensive effort.
Redlands scored the eventual winning run in the fourth frame, when freshman right-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) plated senior pitcher Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) with a long single to left center. The Maroon and Gray put together three hits that inning, with Uphold getting one with a single of her own.
Although CMS pulled one back with a solo home run in the fifth, the Bulldogs buckled down to preserve the close victory. The Athenas attempted a squeeze play in the sixth, but Redlands' defense threw out the runner. Uphold stepped up for the Maroon and Gray, fanning the next two batters to end the inning.
During the opener, Uphold threw a two-hitter gem while striking out five for her 12th win of the season.
The second game was a complete 180 from the opener, as the Maroon and Gray unleashed 14 hits and scored 14 runs, 13 of which came in the third inning.
After CMS pushed one across in the first inning, Redlands answered in the bottom of the second stanza. But the Bulldogs' offensive explosion came in the third, as they found their rhythm at the plate with 11 hits. In addition, the Athenas' defense broke down with three errors.
Highlighting the frame, sophomore third baseman Linda Park (Torrance, CA) nailed the back fence for a long double, which plated two runs for the Bulldogs. In addition, sophomore designated player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) uncorked a stand-up triple down the right-field line to score two more.
Although the Athenas rallied for two runs in each of the subsequent frames, the damage was already done and the Maroon and Gray looked to junior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) to wrap up the five-inning victory. Uphold gained her second win of the day after starting the game with three solid stanzas.
Eight different Bulldogs recorded hits in the game, with Carrasco and freshman short stop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) leading the onslaught with three apiece. Sharp and Park finished with three RBI each in the win.
Redlands (21-7, 11-5 SCIAC) remains in third place in the conference standings but moved within striking distance of CMS and Chapman University.
The Bulldogs head to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday for a 12 noon twin bill against the Sagehens.
