The No. 19 University of Redlands softball team battled against Whitworth University (WA) on Saturday afternoon at the Softball "Field of Dreams", but the Pirates came out on top in both contests. Redlands dropped game one to Whitworth, 10-13, and the nightcap, 6-8.
The Bulldogs jumped on top early in the opener, scoring five runs in the first inning. Senior center-fielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) notched one RBI in the frame, while sophomore right-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) ripped a double down the left-field line to plate a pair of Bulldogs later on in the first.
The Pirates pulled one run back in the top of the third inning, but the U of R extended its lead to 10-1 in the bottom half of the frame with five more runs. Everybody got involved in the hitting department during the third, with sophomore designated player Tori Santos (West Covina, CA), senior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA), junior first baseman Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA), senior catcher Kristen Hooper (Riverside, CA), and Lievanos all racking up RBIs in the explosive inning.
Whitworth responded with four runs of its own in the top of the fourth, however, to cut the deficit to just five. Then, in the sixth frame, the Bulldogs surrendered eight more runs to the Pirates, ultimately putting Redlands in too big of a hole to climb out of.
Despite outhitting Whitworth, 12-6, the Bulldogs allowed 11 walks, many of which resulted in decisive runs for the Pirates.
Leading the way at the plate for the U of R was Sharp with a 4-for-5 effort, one RBI and two runs scored, while Carrasco tallied three hits, two RBI, and two runs scored.
In the nightcap of the doubleheader, Whitworth (5-1) struck early with a run in the top of the first frame. Redlands responded in the bottom half of the third inning, however, scoring two runs to take the lead. Freshman outfielder Marissa Romero (Manteca, CA) registered the first RBI of her collegiate career in the frame when she was hit by a pitch, scoring Clark on the play.
While neither team scored in the fourth, the Pirates capitalized on a pair of homeruns in the fifth to retake the lead, 8-2.
Not going down without a fight though, Redlands continued to battle back and Hooper ripped a double off of the center-field fence in the sixth inning, plating both Clark and senior right-fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA) on the play.
With the deficit down to just four runs in the bottom of the seventh for the Maroon and Gray, the U of R scored two runs to cut the deficit to just two. That would be all the Bulldogs would get in the comeback effort, however, resulting in the tough two-run defeat.
J. Carrasco notched a team-high three hits and scored two runs in the loss, while Clark also crossed the plate twice in addition to picking up one hit.
Redlands (2-4) returns to Division-III action when it opens its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) campaign against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on February 15. The conference doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 12 noon at the Softball "Field of Dreams."
