The University of Redlands softball team hosted Whittier College on Saturday in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader, taking both games against the Poets, 5-0 and 6-4.  With the wins, the Bulldogs improve to 9-1 in conference to remain in first place, sitting thee games ahead.

In game one, the Bulldogs relied on the stellar pitching of senior Katie Brnca (Riverside, CA), who threw seven innings of shut-out ball, allowing just two hits while striking out two.  Redlands opened the game with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, as freshman third baseman Aleisha Martinez (Escondido, CA), sophomore designated player Amanda Doeppel (Monrovia, CA), and freshman first baseman Stacey Burke (Glendora, CA0 provided RBI.  Sophomore catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA) led the offense with three hits and two runs scored while senior short stop Melanie Hamlin (Redlands, CA) posted her third triple of the season.

During the second game, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the first inning but then gave up four runs in the third due to costly errors.  With tougher defense and strong pitching, Redlands held on for the 6-4 victory.  Neumann ignited the scoring in the first inning with a single up the middle, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Hamlin.  Junior second baseman Dory Baga (shown in photo; Aiea, HI) provided her first of two home runs in the game to score Neumann from third base.  Junior designated player Roxy Lambert (La Jolla, CA) then drove in the Bulldogs’ third run with a double to right center to cap of the inning.  After tying up the game in the fourth, Redlands looked to Baga’s second home run to start the bottom of the fifth inning, which served as the game-winning hit.  Lambert provided the security run for Redlands with her RBI-single up the middle.  Brnca pitched 4.2 shutout innings while scattering five hits and striking out three en route to her 10th win of the season.

Redlands (16-2, 9-1 SCIAC) hosts #11 Plattsburg State University (NY) on Thursday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.  On Saturday, the Bulldogs return to SCIAC competition on Saturday with a two-game set against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 12 noon on the Field of Dreams.