The University of Redlands softball team continued its busy slate of action on Tuesday by hosting 15th-ranked Williams College (MA) in a non-conference doubleheader at the Field of Dreams. In a tale of two opposite games, the Bulldogs cruised to a 5-0 win in the opener before seeing the tables turn in a 1-5 decision in the nightcap.
Senior third baseman Summer Smith (Redlands, CA) set the tone by leading off the first game with a home run over the right-field fence to put Redlands on the board in the bottom of the first.
With the confidence of the early 1-0 lead, sophomore pitcher Lindsey Mifsud (Belmont, CA) controlled the game from the circle by displacing two hits through four innings of work.
In the bottom of the frame, junior second baseman Shannon Skrzynski (Pomona, CA) launched a solo shot of her own to double the Bulldogs' advantage.
After extending its lead to three runs off of an error in the fifth, the Maroon and Gray continued to shine defensively to minimize the Ephs' scoring chances.
Redlands also stayed hot at the plate by putting up a two-spot off of four hits in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 5-0 ball game. While facing a new Williams' pitcher, the Bulldogs gained back-to-back singles from junior catcher Lali Garza (Granite Bay, CA) and junior shortstop Ursyla Baumgarten (Penngrove, CA). With two runners on, Skrzynski answered the call with a single to center field to plate senior Marissa Romero (Manteca, CA), who pinch-ran for Garza. With two outs, the Bulldogs' rally continued, as freshman left fielder Jaci Sanchez (Lakewood, CA) muscled a single up the middle for another RBI.
Mifsud finished the game just as well as she began while relying on her defense to take care of business with three up and three down to preserve the 5-0 win.
As the lead-off batter, Smith went 3-for-3 at the plate. Skrzynski put together a 2-for-3 effort that included two RBI and one run scored.
During the second game, freshman pitcher Nicole Stanzione (San Marcos, CA) took over the circle for the Bulldogs. After giving up an early run, she battled to minimize the Ephs' offense, before giving way to sophomore pitcher Mika Imoto (Vista, CA) in the top of the fourth with a two-run deficit.
Redlands had its chances to score with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, but the home team struggled to push runs across.
After Williams extended its lead to five, Redlands kept persisting and finally jumped on the board in the bottom of the seventh off of a sacrifice fly by Garza. Sophomore right fielder Jennifer Ng (Pleasanton, CA) initiated the late-game offense with a lead-off single, before Smith followed suit with a base knock to left field. Romero loaded the bases by beating out the throw from an infield single, which set up Garza's RBI. After Baumgarten drew the walk, Redlands had the bases loaded again, but a well-executed double play by the Ephs ended the Bulldogs' rally.
Romero led the Maroon and Gray with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate.
Redlands (7-13) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Friday by hosting the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Athenas in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at the Field of Dreams.