The Bulldog softball team hosted the Leopards in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The University of Redlands softball team was fired up at the plate in game one to take the opener 8-2 but had to settle for a split with the University of La Verne, falling 2-3 in the nightcap.
Redlands didn't waste time, scoring two runs in its first chance at the plate. Junior left fielder Tsianina Flores (Corona, CA) walked aboard and was joined on base by sophomore first baseman Tyesen Gordon (Lathrop, CA) with a double deep to left-center. Junior right fielder Abigail Bates (Moreno Valley, CA) sacrificed a fly ball to send Flores home and first-year catcher Megan Watkins (Beaumont, CA) singled up the middle to give Gordon the green light to come home 2-0.
The Bulldogs exploded offensively in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs to jump out to a 7-0 lead. With Flores on second, Gordon turned on her first pitch to send it sailing over the left-field fence.
Bates kept the hitting train going with a base gut and Watkins followed with another single. With one out, junior center fielder Sam Rivas (Whittier, CA) drilled a home run to left field, extending the Bulldogs' lead to 7-0.
La Verne responded with two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to five runs, but Redlands struck again in the fifth.
With one out and runners on the corners, first-year third baseman Madison Alves (Kingsburg, CA) laid down a bunt to the right of the circle to allow sophomore pinch-runner Hayley DiMase (Eastvale, CA) to come home, 8-2.
First-year pitcher Madeline Gonzalez (Colton, CA) threw seven innings with seven strikeouts for the win.
La Verne capitalized first in the nightcap, scoring one run each in the first and second innings. The Leopards tacked on another in the fourth, extending their lead to 3-0.
Redlands got on the board in the fifth, as Alves came home on a grounder, and scored another run in the sixth. With one out and runners in scoring position at second and third, senior pinch hitter Jaci Sanchez (Lakewood, CA) stepped into the box and grabbed an RBI with a sacrifice fly to left.
It put the Bulldogs within one run as the home team kept the visitors off of the board to go into the bottom of the seventh looking for a walk-off.
First-year second baseman Kalyn Kerschner (Ewa Beach, HI) led the inning off with a double down the right-field line to spark the Bulldog dugout, but the Leopards grabbed three outs before the Bulldogs could keep the game going.
Redlands takes on Pomona-Pitzer next, heading to the Sagehens for a game on March 6 before hosting a doubleheader on the 7th.