The No. 14 University of Redlands softball team moved into second place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings with Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. The Bulldogs looked to veteran ace Kayla Uphold (Fontana, CA) to pitch a no-hitter through 6.1 of seven innings en route to the 6-1 triumph in game one, before capitalizing on 10 hits and four Sagehen errors in the nightcap for the 7-2 victory.
During the opener, the Maroon and Gray got on the board in the first inning while stringing together three hits and taking advantage of two miscues. Junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) initiated the effort with her lead-off single and then eventually came home on a single-bunt by senior center-fielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, CA), which forced an error for an additional base. Sophomore pitcher/designated player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) then connected on an RBI-single to right field, plating freshman left-fielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA), who reached on the Sagehens' first misfire of the inning.
In the fourth frame, Beeman stepped up with a long single to center, bringing home Clark and freshman right-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA), who doubled down the right-field line with one out.
Leading 4-0, the Bulldogs tacked on single scores in the top of the sixth and seventh innings, including a two-out, RBI-single by Uphold during the Bulldogs' final frame.
After striking out four, walking two, and allowing no hits through six innings, Uphold forced another ground-out to start the bottom of the seventh. Although Pomona-Pitzer rallied for back-to-back hits and eventually scored one, Uphold (14-5) and the Bulldogs took care of business to preserve the solid victory.
Carrasco led the Maroon and Gray offense with a 3-for-3 effort, crossing home plate on two occasions in the process. Clark and Beeman each connected on two hits, with Beeman earning two RBI.
Redlands retook the field for game two and continued to roll, cranking out 10 hits against the Sagehens. The Bulldogs fired off seven runs through the first three innings, with junior catcher Kristen Hooper (Riverside, CA) highlighting the performance with her double to left field for two runs.
Although Pomona-Pitzer answered with two scores in the bottom of the fourth, the Bulldogs stepped up their defense to preserve the win by getting out of some tough situations. In the fifth, the Sagehens loaded the bases but junior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) took the fielder's choice and threw out the runner at home. Then, from the circle, she forced a ground-out which her infield teammates turned into a double-play to end the inning.
After Sharp threw three solid innings to start the game, Kaitlyn Hooper earned her fifth win of the season, while freshman pitcher Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) closed out the game in the final two frames.
Offensively, the Bulldogs gained two hits each from Beeman, Uphold, and Carrasco.
Redlands (23-7, 13-5 SCIAC) hosts Occidental College Tigers on Friday in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at the Softball "Field of Dreams."
