The 19th-ranked University of Redlands softball opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action with impressive results on Saturday, sweeping No. 21 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges by scores of 8-0 in six innings and 6-2.
During the opener, junior third baseman Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) stepped up to the plate for a huge RBI-single to put Redlands on the board in the second inning. With two outs and two runners on, she connected on a full-count pitch for the critical single to left field, plating senior right-fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA) and freshman pinch runner Amanda Ang (Santa Cruz, CA).
Redlands tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth by taking advantage of two Athena errors with great heads-up plays.
The Bulldogs kept firing off runs, with a well-timed, four-spot coming in the sixth stanza to shorten the game. Sophomore shortstop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) fired off the big hit of the inning, connecting on a single up the middle to score freshman pinch runner Marissa Romero (Manteca, CA) from second and Sharp from third.
CMS had their chances and finished the loss after leaving nine runners on base, stranding two in each the second, third, and fifth frames. But the strong pitching staff and solid defense kept the opponents off the scoreboard.
Senior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) collected the win after throwing four innings of shutout ball. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) closed out the contest with a two-inning, one-hit performance.
During the second contest, Redlands erupted for three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a lead that held up for the sweep. After loading the bases early, the Bulldogs gained solid RBI-hits from sophomore left-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) and senior catcher Kristen Hooper (Riverside, CA).
The Bulldogs extended the lead to four runs with a successful squeeze in the third inning. A. Carrasco led off the stanza with a triple, which set up the gutsy play for Kristen Hooper. After her teammate laid down a solid bunt, A. Carrasco slid home as the third baseman dropped the ball for the unearned run.
However, CMS eventually rallied to pull two back in the sixth with effective short-game hitting, pushing runs across on a pair of bunts.
Regardless, the Maroon and Gray quickly answered with two more runs of its own in the bottom of the frame, as King uncorked another RBI-single and A. Carrasco unleashed a double for her third hit of the game.
In the top of the seventh, Henson came in to pitch for the Bulldogs, effectively retiring the side in impressive fashion to preserve the four-run victory.
Kaitlyn Hooper improved to 4-1 on the season after throwing five solid innings in game two. She struck out three and gave up only three hits.
After the doubleheader, Sharp shared her perspective on the importance of the SCIAC wins and her big hit in the second inning of the first game.
Sharp finished the day with a 3-for-8 effort with two RBI and two runs.
A. Carrasco led the squad with four hits in seven at-bats for two RBI, while King also tallied a solid day by going 3-for-8 with three RBI.
Redlands (4-4, 2-0 SCIAC) welcomes the Lions of Vanguard University to the "Field of Dreams" on Monday for non-conference doubleheader at 12 noon.
