After a decade of dominance within the highly-competitive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), the University of Redlands softball team experienced a slight bump in its illustrious journey with a challenging year in 2015. While relying on a youthful roster that was peppered with veteran leadership, the Bulldogs mustered a 19-21 overall record and a 13-15 conference mark, which kept them one spot shy of qualifying for the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. While persevering through unfamiliar territory, Redlands softball put together a valiant showing, as the team caught fire late in the season, providing a powerful catalyst for the program's future return to greatness.
The Bulldogs kicked off their season with a doubleheader against Whitworth University (WA) in late January. After dropping the first game, the Maroon and Gray successfully evened the series when graduate student right-fielder Amanda Lievanos (Anaheim, CA) launched a tape-measuring homerun over the center-field fence. Sophomore hurler Courtney Ludlow (Petaluma, CA) went the distance for the win by allowing just one earned run and fanning two batters.
Redlands endured a rocky February that included only two wins in eight contests. The Bulldogs showed their resiliency by bouncing back to prevail in the second game of each series against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and George Fox University (OR). Against the Sagehens, Redlands put together its largest offensive output of the season thus far by plating 10 runs to Pomona-Pitzer's five. The Bulldogs used a seven-run fifth inning to aid the victory, as highlighted by a two-RBI-double off the bat of freshman catcher Lali Garza (Granite Bay, CA) and an RBI-two-bagger from freshman shortstop Shannon Skrzynski (Pomona, CA). After scoring on the Skrzynski double, sophomore designated player Amanda Ang (Santa Cruz, CA) later added an RBI-single to cap off the lucrative frame for the Maroon and Gray.
A tighter battle between the Bulldogs and George Fox brought out a different path of victory, as Redlands relied on the wing of junior starter Lauren Henson (Highland, CA). She tossed a complete game while scattering 10 hits and allowing a mere run to cross the dish in her first triumph of the season. After trailing early, the Bulldog offense responded when Lievanos connected on a sacrifice fly to score freshman pinch-runner Beverlee Valerio (Monrovia, CA). Junior first baseman Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) followed with a single up the middle, plating sophomore center-fielder Marissa Romero (Manteca, CA) to help in the 3-1 win.
During the month of the March, the Maroon and Gray began to show signs of improvement by winning three series and splitting three others. The first doubleheader sweep came against conference foe, Chapman University, on March 6. The Bulldogs scored 16 runs in the twin bill against the Panthers, defeating them 7-3 in the opener and recording a 9-1 game-two win. After a 2-2 tie forced extra innings in the first game, the Bulldogs allowed one run in the top of the eighth to hand Chapman a 3-2 advantage. Nevertheless, Ang clutched up with a single through the right side in the bottom of the inning, scoring senior pinch-runner Aisha Salami (Gardena, CA) to knot the contest at three apiece. With the bases loaded, freshman second baseman Haley Farr (Chino, CA) stepped up big time by ending the game with a walk-off grand slam for the 7-3 triumph.
Following the game-one heroics, Redlands made the nightcap short and sweet with a mercy-rule victory. The Bulldogs jumped on the board early with a five-spot in the bottom of the first inning. Lievanos connected for a two-run home run, while sophomore third baseman Addie Oeleis (Temecula, CA) matched her power with a three-run bomb. Junior center-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) swung a hot stick in the game as well, collecting two RBI off of a 3-for-4 day at the dish where she was a homerun away from the cycle.
Less than a week later, the Bulldogs revealed their ability to win close games, as they snagged two one-run victories over Ithaca College (NY). Game one was a tug-of-war battle that included four lead-changes, with the advantage eventually leaning towards the Bulldogs as Skrzynski sent a solo shot over the right-field wall for Redlands' walk-off victory. After a full seven innings of play was not enough to decide a winner, more late-inning heroics were on display in game two. Tied at five apiece, Ithaca notched a run in the top of the eighth to put pressure on Redlands to respond. Nonetheless, the veteran Lievanos shined bright when the team needed it most, as she poked a single through the right side, plating Carrasco and Valerio for the series sweep.
The third doubleheader win of the month came against Grinnell College (IA) by a significant margin, as Redlands scored a combined 23 runs for its biggest offensive surge of the year. Junior outfielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA) led the Bulldogs in game one by notching a 3-for-3 mark with two runs scored and three RBI. After tossing four innings and striking out four batters, Ludlow picked up her fourth win of the season from the circle. Game two was equally as successful, with the hot offense looking to Romero and King to combine for a 5-for-5 effort, while Lievanos drove in five RBI.
Following the non-conference sweep, the Bulldogs split doubleheaders against SCIAC competitors, University of La Verne, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, and Occidental College, to close out the more successful month.
With its backs against the wall, the Maroon and Gray turned on the heat in April for a possible playoff berth. The Bulldogs started off by taking a doubleheader from Pomona-Pitzer. In game one of the doubleheader, Henson was nearly untouchable, as she held the Sagehens to one run off four hits while traveling the distance to earn her 11th win of the year. The top half of the Bulldogs' lineup was the headline story, as Carrasco, Oeleis, and Lievanos combined for a 7-for-11 day with six RBI and two runs scored in the 6-1 victory. During game two, the Bulldogs came out on top in a 3-1 decision. Rose tagged Pomona-Pitzer with the first run of the game by lining a single to center field in the first inning, while Farr notched the second RBI-hit in the bottom of the sixth inning to secure Redlands' lead.
Six days later, the Bulldogs kept themselves afloat in the SCIAC standings by uncorking a 20-5 tromping over Chapman. The Bulldogs used an impressive 10-spot in the fourth inning to seal the deal in game one. Overall, Redlands banged out 24 hits to equal 20 runs.
After a minor two-game skid, the Bulldogs returned to winning form in the nightcap against conference-leading Whittier College and defeated the contending Poets in five innings by a score of 15-2. Henson allowed just three hits over five innings, while the Bulldog offense squared up 10 knocks, with two each coming off the bats of Skrzynski and King.
Redlands completed its season on a high note by recording a doubleheader sweep of Occidental. The first game was a blowout, as the Bulldogs cruised to a 10-2 victory. Carrasco was a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored, while Salami notched two hits. Skrzynski put on a fireworks show of power by blasting two homeruns to equal five RBI. The second game was closer, but just as sweet, as the Bulldogs came away victorious, by a score of 12-10. With each of the seven starters registering at least one base-knock, the Bulldogs pushed across 12 runs to clip Occidental. Skrzynski notched another home run for her third of the series, while Garza touched all of the bases for her first dinger of her career at Redlands.
Despite grabbing six wins in the month of April, the Bulldogs fell short of a SCIAC Postseason Tournament berth and ended their season with an overall record of 19-21.
At season's end, five deserving members hauled in All-SCIAC recognition. Lievanos and Carrasco landed on the First Team, while King and Skrzynski garnered Second-Team laurels. In addition, Salami was named to the All-SCIAC Sportsmanship Team. Furthermore, the Maroon and Gray made its mark in the classroom, as King, Rose, Ang, and Romero earned a 3.4 cumulative GPA or above to earn SCIAC All-Academic nods.
The awards didn't stop there, as three Bulldog softball standouts garnered National Fastpitch Coaches of America (NFCA) All-West Region honors for their contributions during the 2015 campaign. Carrasco represented the University of Redlands on the First Team, while King landed on the Second Team and Lievanos collected Third-Team recognition.
Finally, Lievanos inked her name in the record book after a historical four-year career with the Bulldogs. She sits first all-time in career batting average (.454), career hits (244), career runs scored (170), doubles (47), home runs (39), RBI (196), walks (95), total bases (424), slugging percentage (.790), games played (176), and games started (176).
With a core group of players coming back in 2016, the Bulldogs look to regain post-season form and continue the dynasty that has shaped the Bulldog softball program over the last 11 years.