The University of Redlands softball team continued its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) journey on Monday, by traveling to the University of La Verne for an afternoon doubleheader. While belting out 18 hits, the Bulldogs prevailed in the opener by a score of 12-6. Unfortunately, the Maroon and Gray struggled to close out the night cap and lost by a 7-8 decision.
After pushing a run across in the opening frame, Redlands put up an eight-spot in the second inning for a sizeable lead. Among the eight-hit showing, junior right-fielder Amanda Ang (Santa Cruz, CA) and senior second baseman Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) blasted off back-to-back doubles to score a combined three runs. In addition, senior center-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) went 2-for-2 for two runs in that inning, while senior left-fielder Grace Rose (Villa Park, CA) crushed an RBI-single for the Bulldogs.
Although La Verne answered with six runs in the third inning, freshman pitcher Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) took over the circle and quieted the home team's offense. She dispersed five hits and allowed no runs through 4.2 innings of work.
Furthermore, Redlands pushed three more runs across while stringing together five hits in the top of fifth to secure the 12-6 victory. Sophomore first baseman Lali Garza (Granite Bay, CA), sophomore third baseman Lauren Hernandez (Littleton, CO), and Rose accounted for the Maroon and Gray's RBI.
The Leopards had their best offensive chance in the bottom of the sixth, when they registered two hits and a walk to load the bases with two outs. But Mifsud forced the subsequent batter into a ground-out to extinguish any chance of a comeback.
Overall, Carrasco led the offense with two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI. King, Hernandez, and Rose each provided two RBI as well.
During the second contest, Redlands broke an early 1-1 tie with six runs over the next two frames, but a late rally by the Leopards left the Bulldogs on the losing end of a 7-8 decision.
Highlighted by a lead-off dinger, Carrasco brought in both of the Maroon and Gray's runs through the fourth frame to put her team up by a score of 2-1. During the fifth inning, freshman pitcher Mika Imoto (Vista, CA) and Rose belted out singles to plate junior pinch-runner Marissa Romero (Manteca, CA) and sophomore shortstop Shannon Skrzynski (Pomona, CA), respectively, before Carrasco kept on firing with a bases-clearing double to make it 7-1.
Unfortunately for Bulldogs, their offense stopped there, as La Verne's bats heated up to tack on seven runs over the next three innings to snag the win.
Carrasco remained impressive for the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 with five RBI and one run scored.
Senior pitcher Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) took the loss after a complete-game effort.
Redlands (7-3, 4-2 SCIAC) kicks off the month of March with a SCIAC twin bill at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Friday, the fourth, beginning at 2 p.m.
