ORANGE, Calif. – The University of Redlands Softball team picked up a huge Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) series with first place Chapman University Saturday.  After dropping game one of the doubleheader 16-3, bounced back with a 3-2 win in game two collecting their first series win on the season.

Redlands has now won five of their last seven improving to 14-11, 7-5 SCIAC.  They now sit in a tie for 4^th with Claremont-M-S within the conference standings.     

Game 1 (L, 16-3 | 5-Innings)

The Bulldogs were out of the first game before it really started as they allowed the Panthers to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the 1^st Inning before seeing them extend the advantage to double digits after two. Redlands got one of those runs back in the 3^rd Inning when Kalyn Kershner (Ewa Beach, HI) drove a sacrifice fly to dead center that plated Tyesen Gordon(Lathrop, CA) who had led off the inning with a double down the left field line.

UR then added another two in the 4^th Inning coming on two outs.  Isabella Culp (Hanford, CA) started off the inning with a double to left and Collette Allen (Sierra Madre, CA) followed reaching after getting hit by a pitch. That then led to Alexis Campos (Lake Forest, CA) who drove a ball down the left field line for a two-bagger that cleared the bases.  But in the bottom half of the inning Chapman would tack on another five runs that secured the run-rule and the game-one victory.

Redlands collected five hits, but produced four costly errors.  Campos finished 1-for-3 with two RBI's, Gordon was 1-for-2 scoring once and Annabelle Gutierrez (Gilroy, CA) and Culp each collected base hits.

Danielle Stallings (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) suffered the loss after going just 1.1 Innings giving up 10 runs (six earned) on eight hits.  She drops to 10-4.           

Game 2 (W, 3-2)

Unlike game one where the Bulldogs were down big after two innings, Redlands and Chapman were scoreless through four in the second game of the doubleheader.  UR added the first run of the game in the 5^th Inning taking their first lead of the series.  Culp led off the frame with a single through the left side and advanced due to a passed ball.  Allen then walked to put two runners on and Campos would then drive in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle.  

The Bulldogs immediately conceded the lead in the bottom half of the fifth as the Panthers put two across with just one out, but couldn't do any further damage as Kershner was able to gather the final two outs to get out of the jam.  In the 6^th Inning Kershner helped herself out driving in Gutierrez with a single, which tied the game up. The Bulldogs then carried that momentum into the 7^th Inning with Allen drawing a leadoff walk before advancing to third due to a throwing error coming on a sacrifice bunt laid down by Campos.  Two batters later Sierra Daley (Torrance, CA) stepped in and drove long fly ball to right field, which was deep enough to score Allen putting UR on top 3-2.      

Kershner then pitched a one-two-three bottom of the seventh to collect her second win of the season going a complete game giving up two runs on five hits with a strikeout. 

Allen reached base all four times coming on walks, Gordon went 2-for-4, and overall, seven players reached via a walk or a hit.

Redlands returns to the diamond next weekend opening up a three-game series with Cal Lutheran University.  They host the Regals on Friday, April 8 (3:00pm) before traveling to Thousand Oaks on Saturday, April 9 for a doubleheader (12pm/2pm).