LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Under sunny skies and true spring
like weather today at Anderson Field, Occidental College fell to
the University of Redlands, 6-4 and 5-2, in a Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference double-header. Yesterday the
Bulldogs nabbed the Tigers, 4-1.
In game one today Occidental out-hit Redlands six to four, but
it was the visiting Bulldogs who rallied in the ninth to earn a 6-4
victory in a pitchers-duel that saw each starter to 8.0 strong
innings. Game two each team collected nine hits, although again it
was the Maroon and Gray prevailing, 5-2.
UR took a quick 1-0 lead in the first on a wild pitch and added
a second in the top of the fourth of the first game of the day.
The bottom of frame saw the Tigers catch up to Kyle Hart,
squaring the ball up as they put together a string of offense.
Logan Allen and Stephen
Hilliard shot line drives up the middle to put runners on
first and second. Chris Caldwell drew a two-out
walk to load the sacks and Pedro Aldape worked a
3-1 count and drew another walk, scoring the first Tigers'
run of the game. Alec Strain quickly stoked an RBI single to right,
knotting the score at 2-2.
Senior catcher Dale Garrett followed suit with
a double to left, driving in another pair, giving Oxy their first
lead of the afternoon at 4-2.
Redlands would push another run across the plate in the seventh
to make it a 4-3 game.
Brooks Belter took the mound in the top of the
ninth to close things out. After the leadoff man singled, a failed
pickoff attempt saw the ball find its way to right field and when
the Bulldogs' Nate Carlson took off running, so did Strain
who fired a strike to Riley Smith at third to
apply the tag well ahead of the Carlson slide, igniting the
crowd.
That energy would be short lived as a throwing error after a
fantastic diving play deep in the hold at shortstop allowed UR to
tie things at 4-4 with only one out in the top of the ninth. After
Belter recorded a strike out for the second out, pinch hitter Max
Hardman drove in the go-ahead run. A hit batter loaded the bases
and UR capitalized using another Oxy error to add an insurance
run.
Occidental was unable to reciprocate in the bottom of the ninth
as UR closer Casey Miller got the save. Hart went 8.0 innings for
the win while Popham got a no-decision after one-hitting the
Bulldogs through 8.0 innings, striking out four. Belter was tagged
with the loss, his first of 2011.
Game two also went in favor of the visiting squad, as Adam Byrd
got the win and Miller locked up his second save of the day.
For Occidental, the top of the second inning ended with Smith
laying out to grab a line drive inches off the dirt at the hot
corner for the third out. The Tigers used that momentum for a pair
of singles from Josh White and Aldape, who beat
the shift to do the same, but the Oxy left both men on base.
Redlands (10-4, 9-3 SCIAC) broke the scoreless stretch in the
fourth with a run on a trio of singles. Jason Henning then launched
a three-run homerun to left in the fifth, putting the Bulldogs up
4-0.
Once again Smith stepped up defensively as he and Aldape joined
forces for a 5-3-5 double-play to end the sixth.
In the bottom of the seventh, Oxy put a crooked number on the
scoreboard with three consecutive singles. Allen drove in Smith
with a laser of a single to left field and Caldwell moved to third.
Stephen Hilliard drove in the rookie outfielder
and was nearly safe at first, diving into the bag after the UR
shortstop made a great play deep in the hole, cutting the deficit
to 5-2.
A 1-2-3 inning for the Tigers put the bats back in the hands of
the Bulldogs and the Black and Orange called on Belter again. The
senior righty had no trouble with the opposition this outing,
forcing two ground balls to second with a strike out sandwiched
between the first and last outs of the inning.
Unfortunately, in the bottom of the ninth the Tigers were unable
to get anything going offensively.
White and Fudge combined for four of the nine Oxy hits, each
going 2-for-3. Smith stole a pair of bases and Allen swiped one as
well. Overall today Fudge was 3-for-4.
Behind the plate, Garrett put forth an excellent effort,
blocking pitches in the dirt left and right all afternoon.
Occidental (7-9, 3-5 SCIAC) will be back on the diamond next
Friday, March 11 when they travel to the University of La Verne,
who doubled-up Pomona-Pitzer today, to play a single game against
the Leopards beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Ben Hines Field.
Article by Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director
