The No. 15 University of Redlands softball team stumbled in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader at Chapman University on Saturday, falling by a score of 1-2 in each contest.
However, the Bulldogs remain in first place in the SCIAC standings with four games left on their regular-season schedule. After Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges' split with the University of La Verne yesterday, Redlands needs to win only one to clinch a share of the title. Taking two would give them sole possession of the championship.
Against the Panthers, Redlands struggled to get its bats going, as sophomore left-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) recorded the only multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 performance.
After Chapman belted in a run, the Bulldogs responded with an RBI-single by sophomore short stop Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) that pushed across senior right-fielder Janelle Carrasco (Whittier, CA).
The Panthers garnered the winning score in the bottom of the sixth on a double steal.
Redlands' J. Carrasco led off with a walk in the subsequent frame, but nothing came of it, as Chapman retired the next three batters.
The Maroon and Gray's hitting improved in game two, amassing eight hits, but it still was not enough in the close competition.
This time, Redlands initiated the scoring in the third inning when senior center-fielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) crushed a double to left center to bring home A. Carrasco from second base.
Unfortunately, Chapman answered on an error in the fifth frame, evening the score at one apiece. The Panthers later recorded the winning run in the bottom of the seventh, firing off three-consecutive hits with two outs.
Freshman pitcher Courtney Ludlow (Petaluma, CA) offered a valiant effort in relief, working 5.2 innings with six strikeouts.
Lievanos, A. Carrasco, and senior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, CA) recorded two hits apiece for the Bulldogs.
Redlands (24-10, 20-4 SCIAC) looks to bounce back on Fri., April 18, when it hosts Occidental College for Senior Day at 2 p.m. at the Softball "Field of Dreams."
