The top-seeded University of Redlands softball team took care of business in the opening game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament on Friday by defeating the #4-seeded Regals of Cal Lutheran University in a 4-2 decision. After scoring early, the Bulldogs held off a late push by the visiting squad to secure the win.
Junior shortstop Natalie Horton (Palmdale, CA) led off the bottom of the first with a triple and later came home on a sacrifice fly from first-year second baseman Collette Allen (Sierra Madre, CA) to put the Maroon and Gray on the board, 1-0.
With senior pitcher Danielle Stallings (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) pitching well through the first few innings, Redlands also gained confidence at the plate. In the bottom of the third, junior right fielder Kayla Rivas (Whittier, CA) led off the frame with a double down the right-field line before Horton traded places with her for the Bulldogs' 2-0 lead. With two outs, Allen stepped up again by singling through the left side on a scorcher that sent Horton home from third.
Although CLU responded by putting runners in scoring position, Stallings forced back-to-back groundouts to third base where sophomore third baseman Madison Alves (Kingsburg, CA) provided highlight-reel defense for the Maroon and Gray.
The Regals kept pushing in the top of the fifth by loading the bases on a double and a pair of singles. Following a meeting in the pitching circle, Stallings fanned the next batter to switch the momentum in her favor. The Bulldog defense ended CLU's rally on a 1-2-3 double play to escape the inning unscathed.
After Redlands tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth, Cal Lutheran mustered two runs in the sixth to cut the home team's lead in half. Nonetheless, Redlands answered the call with three up and three down in the top of the seventh to secure the win.
Horton went 2-for-3 at the plate, including a double and a triple, with two runs scored and an RBI. Senior designated player Sam Rivas (Whittier, CA) also went 2-for-3, while Allen tallied three RBI.
Stallings faced 32 batters in the complete-game victory.
The SCIAC Postseason Tournament continues Saturday at the University of Redlands Softball Field of Dreams. With #2-seeded Chapman University topping the #3-seeded University of La Verne earlier today, the Bulldogs face Chapman at 1 p.m. on Saturday, while Cal Lutheran squares off against La Verne in an elimination game at 10 a.m.
