The University of Redlands softball team headed to Eagle Rock to take on Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent, Occidental College, on Saturday. In game one, the Bulldogs consistently put up one or two runs in multiple innings to provide great support for sophomore pitcher Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) en route to the 4-0 shutout. Unfortunately, this fueled a fire within the Tigers to take the second game by a final score of 5-0.
The visiting team got off to a hot start, as senior left fielder Marissa Romero (Manteca, CA) doubled down the left field line, which set up junior catcher Lali Garza's (Granite Bay, CA) two-out single to plate Romero for Redlands' first run.
Fast-forward to the top of the third, senior center fielder Amanda Ang (Santa Cruz, CA) led off with a deep double to left field. In deja-vu fashion, Garza stepped up with two outs and lined a single through the left side for her second RBI of the day.
Mifsud continued to cruise through the Tigers' lineup while her team provided the necessary run support.
The Maroon and Gray added two runs in the top of the sixth. Sophomore second basemen Hayley Romo (Port Orchard, WA) was credited with the first RBI to score junior third basemen Ursyla Baumgarten (Penngrove, CA), who reached base on a single. Redlands took advantage of a costly fielding error to make it a 4-0 Bulldog advantage.
Mifsud was money from the circle, shutting down the remaining Occidental batters and securing the 4-0 shutout.
During the second contest, freshman pitcher Nicole Stanzione (San Marcos, CA) stepped into the circle and held the Tigers to only one run through five innings.
The Bulldogs had baserunners in five of six innings, but none made it all the way around the diamond to keep them scoreless.
The Tigers laced together six hits in the top of the sixth inning for a crooked number, providing too much of a hole for the Maroon and Gray to overcome.
Redlands (4-10, 2-6 SCIAC) immediately looks to move on by hosting non-conference competitor, Ithaca College (NY), on Monday, March 13, at the Field Of Dreams. The teams are slotted to play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.