REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team came away with a 3-1 win Friday afternoon at the "Field of Dreams" beating previously unbeaten Chapman University behind a complete game from Danielle Stallings (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) and a pair of home runs from Collette Allen (Sierra Madre, CA) and Annabelle Gutierrez (Gilroy, CA).
The win moves Redlands to 13-10, 6-4 SCIAC and have now taken the first game of each Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) series.
After a quick 1-2-3 Inning to start the game Redlands stepped in on offense and picked up three walks in the bottom half of the first getting their first run off a Stallings sacrifice fly to center that scored Allen. After two more shutout innings from Stallings, the Bulldogs tacked on another run in the third, this time off the bat of Allen who connected for a solo shot to left moving the score to 2-0.
The very next inning with one out Gutierrez delivered tacking on insurance with a solo shot to left, her first of the season and fourth of her career making it a three-run game.
In the sixth, the Panthers found a way to get on the scoreboard putting together a two-out rally coming on a single up the middle by Lastinger. They loaded the bases and continued to threaten, but Stallings for the third time on the game was able to work around the jam leaving the runners stranded as she induced a groundball to third ending the threat.
In the top half of the seventh Stallings found herself in another predicament. A double and a walk put runners on the corners with two outs, but that's where they would stay as Stallings would get Serna to lineout to Kalyn Kershner (Ewa Beach, HI), which sealed the home win.
It was not an offensive afternoon for the Bulldogs totaling three runs on three hits, which tied a season-low, which came during their mid-week loss to DePauw. Another notable stat was that UR only totaled 19 at-bats, three fewer than their previous low of 22, which came against the University of Puget Sound (Feb. 12, Game 2). It is worth noting that the Bulldogs only got six innings of offense on the afternoon.
Allen had a fantastic day at the plate going 1-for-1 with two walks as she was one of only two Bulldogs to reach base multiple times, joining Tyesen Gordon (Lathrop, CA) who was 1-for-2 with a walk. Stallings picked up her 10th win on the season after going a complete game giving up one run on seven hits.
The Bulldogs and Panthers continue their three-game series with a doubleheader at Chapman tomorrow, Saturday, April 2 with first pitches slated for 12:00pm and 2:00pm.