The University of Redlands baseball team assembled an impressive offensive showcase against No. 20 Cal Lutheran University Friday afternoon at The Yard in Redlands, downing the Kingsmen by a 13-4 final in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action.

Cal Lutheran, ranked at No. 20 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's preseason poll, scored first off of a Jordan Ott two-run bomb to center in the top half of the third, but the Bulldogs' six-run effort in the bottom of the frame would dig the Kingsmen in a hole from which they could not escape. After plating three, the Maroon and Gray capitalized on a costly misplay of a routine ground ball by the Cal Lutheran rightfielder as two runs came in, while graduate student designated hitter Brett Sandford (Santa Barbara, CA) landed on third. Sandford then scored on a groundout to put the Bulldogs up, 6-2.

Redlands stuffed the run column once more in the bottom of the fifth as it pushed the tally to 10-3. Senior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR), Sandford and graduate student first baseman Matt Hughes (Westminster, CA) all set the table for sophomore second baseman Chase Tucker (Poway, CA), who fired a bases-clearing triple to left-center. Tucker touched the dish himself in the ensuing at bat off of a single up the middle by sophomore third baseman Cameron Lowe (Olympia, WA).

The Bulldogs scattered three runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to lead, 13-3, heading into the top of the ninth. Cal Lutheran's Travis Dadigian stole second and eventually scored off of a double to cut Redlands' margin of victory to single digits.

Senior pitcher Michael Lessig (Fountain Hills, AZ) relied on a strong mix of pitches to pick up the win on the mound. In six frames of work, he struck out eight while allowing just three runs off of seven hits. The victory moved his record to 3-1 on the season.

Upon Lessig's departure in the lopsided affair, sophomore pitcher Brock Jacobo (Yuma, AZ) took over the reigns and held the Kingsmen scoreless for the seventh and eighth. Sophomore pitchers Josh Snyder (Denver, CO) and Jeff Cashmer (Cherry Valley, CA) shared time on the hill in the top of the ninth and kept Cal Lutheran from mounting a rally.

Greg Gelber was tagged with the loss after struggling through 4 1/3 innings. He gave up nine runs on nine hits, seven of which were earned. Cal Lutheran's bullpen fared slightly better, accounting for four of Redlands' 13 runs.

The Kingsmen were unable to advance runners throughout the contest, leaving a total of 11 on base. The squad tallied 11 hits throughout the course of the tilt but only had four runs to show for its effort.

Both Johnson and Tucker shelled the Cal Lutheran pitchers. Johnson went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored while Tucker batted 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Both Sandford and Lowe also boasted multi-hit performances.

The Bulldog line-up combined for 15 hits in all.

Redlands (7-2, 5-2 SCIAC) faces Cal Lutheran (7-4, 2-2 SCIAC) again tomorrow in a SCIAC doubleheader. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Thousand Oaks. While no decision has been made insofar as postponing the match-up due to the impending storm, game-day conditions could push the twinbill to a later date. Please check www.goredlands.com for up-to-the-minute details on the status of the doubleheader.