The University of Redlands softball team jumped right into Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Saturday by traveling to Orange to face the Chapman University Panthers at Hart Park. The Bulldogs fired off nine lucrative hits in the opener for a 6-3 victory and then rallied from behind to complete the sweep with a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.
During the first game of the day, Chapman struck first with a two-spot in the first inning, but the Maroon and Gray wasted no time in responding by stringing together big hits for four runs in the second frame. Freshman third baseman Summer Smith (Redlands, CA) launched an RBI-double to score sophomore pinch runner Bev Valerio (Monrovia, CA), who stepped in for sophomore first baseman Ursyla Baumgarten (Penngrove, CA)after she led off with a two-bagger. With two outs, senior center-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) kept things rolling with a triple into the right-center gap to bring Smith home for a 2-2 tie. But the Bulldogs weren't done yet, as freshman left-fielder Jennifer Ng (Pleasanton, CA) blasted her inaugural home run in a Maroon and Gray uniform, plating Carrasco for her team's 4-2 lead.
Although the Panthers put up one run in the fourth inning, Redlands gained some breathing room on a two-run dinger by senior catcher Dani Santos (West Covina, CA) in the top of the fifth.
Freshman pitcher Mika Imoto (Vista, CA) registered her second start as a Bulldog, throwing the first three innings, before handing off the pearl to freshman pitcher Jessica Doss (San Mateo, CA). While making her collegiate debut, Doss collected the win after four frames of work that included two strikeouts and only one run.
Ng was the only Bulldog to register more than one hit in the opener.
The Bulldogs battled back more than once in the second game, earning the 6-5 victory with a total-team effort throughout the contest.
Trailing by a score of 4-5 to start the sixth inning, Redlands rallied with two outs to make something happen. After Ng walked and freshman pinch-hitter Hayley Romo (Port Orchard, WA) moved her over on a single up the middle, sophomore short stop Shannon Skrzynski (Pomona, CA) blasted a bases-clearing triple through the left side, providing what became the game-winning hit.
Freshman pitcher Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) continued the Bulldogs' momentum into the pitcher's circle by retiring the side in the subsequent half-inning. After giving up a hit in the seventh, she closed the door on the Panthers to earn the second win of her young career.
Skrzynski and senior left-fielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA) each recorded two hits and one run in a solid outing.
The Bulldog defense performed flawlessly without an error throughout the day.
Redlands (4-0, 2-0 SCIAC) continues its busy, opening weekend with a non-conference twin bill against Whitworth University (WA) on Sunday, February 21, at 10 a.m. at the Softball Field of Dreams.
