REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Baseball team put together a late comeback Tuesday night in a non-conference match-up with Bridgewater College but saw it come up short 9-4 as they were unable to overcome an early 7-0 hole.
The Maroon and Grey have lost two in a row as they drop to 6-3, 2-1 SCIAC.
It was a slow start for the Bulldogs giving up seven runs across the first five innings. They got two of those runs back in the sixth though with Luke De Vries (Irvine, CA) starting the frame off with a single through the left side before coming in on a Jared Anderson (Gilbert, AZ) double to dead center. After two quick outs Max Smyley (Sarasota, FL) stepped in and came up clutch with a two-out base knock through the left side that plated the second run.
After allowing a run in the top half of the eighth, the Bulldogs got two back in their at-bats. Anderson led things off with a double to right center and advanced to third after a Jonah Advincula (Santa Clara, CA) single to left. With runners in scoring position Mark Kirkland (Redlands, CA) put a ball on the infield that allowed one run to come in and Smyley followed with a sacrifice fly to center that brought in the fourth run of the game.
But this comeback would come up short as Bridgewater would tack on an insurance run in the ninth before holding on for the five run victory. On the night the Bulldogs used six pitchers and got three non-regular starts in the field with De Vries playing center, Dane Flashberg (Glendora, CA) behind the plate, and Gabriel Ceja (Long Beach, CA) in right field.
Ryan Rhoades (San Diego, CA) got the start and went 4.1 Innings, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out four as he drops to 0-2 on the season.
Anderson led the way from the leadoff spot for the U of R, reaching all four times with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. Smyley drove in two and Omar Barraza (San Mateo, CA) walked twice and pitched the ninth.
Redlands prepares for a weekend conference series with the University of La Verne this Friday and Saturday, March 5-6. They will be on the road Friday with a 3:00pm start before hosting the Leopards for a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitches slated for 11:00am and 2:30pm.