The University of Redlands softball team battled it out with Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe, University of La Verne, in Friday's doubleheader at the Field of Dreams. Amidst a very tight showdown, the Bulldogs suffered a tough 1-2 loss in the opener, before bouncing back with a 3-2 victory in game two.
During the pitchers' duel in game one, neither team managed to get much of an offense going, but La Verne successfully scraped together single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bulldogs responded by taking advantage of a pair of Leopard miscues, as senior center-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) touched home to cut the deficit in half. After reaching on an error, she made her way to third by stealing second and then advancing on a passed ball. Senior first baseman Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA) fired off a short fly-ball to center, which was misplayed by the La Verne center-fielder and bounced out of her glove, allowing Carrasco to score.
The Bulldogs had the chance to win it after sophomore short stop Ursyla Baumgarten (Penngrove, CA) singled up the middle to give Redlands runners at second and third. But the La Verne pitcher forced a routine out to end the late-game rally.
Freshman hurler Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) was tagged with the loss after dispersing four hits, striking out two, and giving up just one earned run.
Baumgarten, freshman designated player Mika Imoto (Vista, CA), and sophomore right-fielder Bev Valerio (Monrovia, CA) accounted for the Maroon and Gray's only hits.
During the night cap, the Bulldogs stepped up defensively to support senior pitcher Lauren Henson's (Highland, CA) solid effort from the circle. Despite scattering nine hits, she allowed just one earned run in a complete-game effort.
Redlands struck first in the bottom of the third frame, with Carrasco initiating the charge with a bunt-single. After junior right-fielder Amanda Ang (Santa Cruz, CA) moved her over, senior left-fielder Grace Rose repeated Carrasco's effort with another short-ball single. King stepped up with a bomb of a fly-ball to deep center to provide the sacrifice fly for the Maroon and Gray's first run of the game.
Following an efficient, four-batter top-of-the-fourth, Redlands pushed for an offensive opportunity with aggressive base-running but saw it slip away on a nice defensive play by the Leopards. Not to be outdone, Imoto uncorked her first-career home run in a Bulldog uniform, plating sophomore third baseman Summer Smith (Redlands, CA), who had singled during the previous at-bat.
Although La Verne answered with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, Redlands looked to Henson and the defense to shut down any possibility of a comeback. The Bulldogs held on for the 3-2 win and the doubleheader split.
Sophomore first baseman Lali Garza (Granite Bay, CA) went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double.
Redlands (18-10, 8-8 SCIAC) heads to Cal Lutheran University on Saturday, April 2 for a 12 noon doubleheader against the Regals.
