The University of Redlands softball team took on the University of La Verne Leopards on Senior Day at the "Field of Dreams" on Friday afternoon in an important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader. The Bulldogs faced a must-win situation in order to stay in contention for the SCIAC Postseason Tournament but came up short by scores of 6-11 and 4-10. 

Redlands trailed in both games, beginning with an eight-run deficit in the opener.  After graduate student outfielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) knocked one out of the park in the previous frame, the Maroon and Gray put up a five-spot in the bottom of the fifth.  With the bases loaded after a pair of walks and an error, the Bulldogs pushed runs across by making the most of their speed on the base-paths.  Senior designated player Aisha Salami (Gardena, CA) beat out the throw at home on a fielder's choice, before Lievanos' single up the middle scored junior center-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) and freshman short stop Shannon Skrzynski (Pomona, CA) in a tight call at the plate.  With two outs, Redlands' rally continued on another Leopard fielder's choice, which allowed Lievanos and junior third baseman Addie Oeleis (Temecula, CA) to make their way home in an impressive display of heads-up base-running.

With their lead cut to two runs, the Leopards quickly answered with another crooked number in the top of the sixth, providing plenty of cushion that late in the game.

Redlands managed to load the bases once more in the bottom of the inning, but back-to-back outs prevented the home team from capitalizing on runners in scoring position.

Lievanos provided a 2-for-3 showing with three RBI and two runs scored.  In addition, junior catcher Dani Santos (West Covina, CA) went 2-for-4 from the plate.

Prior to game two, the Bulldogs recognized their lone senior, Aisha Salami, for her contributions during her career at Redlands.

During the night cap, the Maroon and Gray faced a four-run hole going into the bottom of the second inning, but a two-run dinger by Skrzynski kept the Bulldogs within striking distance of completing a comeback.

However, the Leopards answered yet again, scoring three runs over the next two frames.

Nonetheless, the Bulldogs kept clawing their way back, as Skrzynski and Carrasco stepped up with back-to-back singles to plate a pair of runs.  Freshman catcher Lali Garza (Granite Bay, CA) and sophomore pinch-hitter Casey Maltz (Palo Alto, CA) created the scoring opportunity with their base-hits earlier in the inning.  

But the Maroon and Gray's offensive effort was not enough, as La Verne responded with more runs in the top of the seventh to secure the solid lead.

Skrzynski finished with a 3-for-3 performance in game two, while Carrasco and Lievanos each went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Junior Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) suffered both losses on the day, combining for 7.1 innings in the two games.

Redlands (17-21, 11-15) falls into a tie for fifth place in the standings and remains unable to catch the fourth-place position with only two games to go.  The Bulldogs look to finish off the 2015 season on a high note when they travel to Occidental College on Saturday, April 25, for a 12 noon doubleheader against the Tigers.