The University of Redlands softball team further solidified its third-place position in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings by sweeping the Occidental College Tigers in Saturday's doubleheader in Eagle Rock. The Bulldogs earned a 4-2 win in the opening game and then captured a 6-2 victory in the night cap.
The first contest included a pitchers' duel through the first four innings, as both teams were held off the scoreboard. Senior pitcher Lauren Henson (Highland, CA) excelled for the Bulldogs, as she gave up one hit in the first four frames.
Redlands jumped on the board in the top of the fifth with heads-up base-running, as senior center-fielder AJ Carrasco (Whittier, CA) reached on a walk and then advanced to second when the Tiger catcher threw the ball away, which allowed freshman pinch-runner Jennifer Ng (Pleasanton, CA) to score from second. The two-out rally continued with sophomore third baseman Summer Smith's (Redlands, CA) RBI-single that plated Carrasco.
Although Oxy answered with a one-run showing in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bulldogs continued to push for scoring opportunities , as freshman designated player Hayley Romo (Port Orchard, WA) provided an RBI-single in the top of the sixth. She plated senior second baseman Vicki King (Thousand Oaks, CA), who singled and eventually reached third on an error.
Redlands tacked on another run in the seventh, as Smith blasted off a sacrifice fly to bring home sophomore first baseman Lali Garza (Granite Bay, CA), who reached on a single earlier in the inning.
Henson scattered seven hits, allowed two runs, and earned the win in a complete-game effort.
During the second game, the Bulldogs used a four-run outburst in the top of the seventh to turn a 2-1-lead into a 6-2-win. With two outs and runners on second and third, senior pinch-hitter Dani Santos (West Covina, CA) fired off a single up the middle to score sophomore short stop Shannon Skrzynski (Pomona, CA). Carrasco provided plenty of insurance in the win by crushing a three-run home run, which brought home Garza and sophomore right-fielder Bev Valerio (Monrovia, CA).
Garza went 3-for-4 in game two, while Carrasco finished the day with a 7-for-8 showing at the dish.
Freshman pitcher Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) went the distance in game two, earning the win by dispersing five hits and striking out one.
Redlands (23-11, 13-9) looks forward to hosting Chapman University for Strikeout for Cancer Day at the Field of Dreams on Wednesday, April 27, at 1 p.m. in a SCIAC doubleheader.
