With senior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper (Riverside, CA) and sophomore pitcher Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) leading the way, the No. 15 University of Redlands softball team swept Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday afternoon at the Softball "Field of Dreams". The Bulldogs won the opener, 1-0, while taking game two, 4-1.
The Maroon and Gray scored the opening game's lone run in the bottom of the first frame when junior designated player Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, CA) singled to left field, scoring senior center-fielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) who had singled earlier in the frame.
From that point on, Hooper was in a zone, completely shutting down Pomona-Pitzer's offense. Hooper went the distance in game one, scattering four hits while allowing no runs and striking out three.
At the plate as a team, Redlands racked up nine hits, with Lievanos, Sharp, and senior right-fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA) all tallying two apiece. In addition, freshman first baseman Casey Maltz (Palo Alto, CA), sophomore shortstop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA), and freshman left-fielder Marissa Romero (Manteca, CA) each notched a hit in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) triumph.
In game two, the U of R once again jumped on top early with senior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) getting things going with a leadoff triple in the first inning. She eventually came in to score on an RBI groundout by Lievanos.
Bulldog sophomore third baseman Addie Oeleis (Temecula, CA) made things happen on the base paths in the third frame, as after reaching on an error, she used her speed and forced the Sagehens into a wild throw later in the inning, ultimately allowing her to come around and score.
Pomona-Pitzer pulled one run back in the fourth inning to cut the deficit in half, but Maltz provided the Maroon and Gray with a clutch hit in the bottom of the sixth to push the advantage to three runs. With the bases loaded and two outs, Maltz looped and RBI single to centerfield, scoring two Bulldog runners.
Up 4-1, Hooper came in to relieve Redlands' game-two starter, Henson, in the seventh. Hooper made no mistakes and closed the door on the Sagehens in 1-2-3 fashion, earning the save. Henson was fantastic for the Bulldogs in the nightcap, going six strong innings while scattering six hits and surrendering just one run.
At the plate, the Bulldogs only mustered three hits as a team, with Maltz notching two of those.
The U of R (23-7, 19-1 SCIAC) returns to action next Friday when it hosts Cal Lutheran University (17-11, 11-7 SCIAC) at the Softball "Field of Dreams". First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
