Softball Ends California Trip With Doubleheader Loss at No. 11 Redlands
Mark Becker
REDLANDS, Calif. (March 15, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team fell, 8-0 and 10-2, in a non-conference doubleheader at No. 11 University of Redlands on Friday evening.
Redlands improves to 14-4 with the pair of victories while Stevens drops to 0-10.
Redlands 8, Stevens 0
The Bulldogs took a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and added one run in the second and third innings. Stevens finally got its first hit on a leadoff single from freshman left fielder
Gavriella Risman-Jones (New Boston, N.H.) and although the Ducks managed to move runners to second and third, they could not get on the scoreboard.
U of R was finally held scoreless in the fourth inning, but the Bulldogs would add the necessary three runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game.
Risman-Jones’ had the Ducks’ only hit, although freshman right fielder
Kelsey Dempsey (Broomfield, Colo.) and sophomore third baseman
Jamie DeGennaro (Pearl River, N.Y.) reached base on a walk and hit-by-pitch, respectively. Senior
Molly Herforth (Pompton Plains, N.J.) took the loss in the circle, allowing six earned runs while striking out two over 4.2 innings.
Junior second baseman Amanda Clark (Riverside, Calif.) was 1-1 with two walks, a hit-by-pitch, one double, three runs and two stolen bases while freshman first baseman Tori Santos (West Covina, Calif.) went 2-3 with a triple and two RBI. Senior Kayla Uphold (Fontana, Calif.) only allowed one baserunner on a hit batter while striking out one over two innings and freshman Lauren Henson (Highland, Calif.) picked up the win, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one in three innings.
Redlands 10, Stevens 2
U of R manufactured a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning, but Stevens responded with a potential huge inning in the top of the second. Senior designated player
Clair Strom (El Paso, Texas) drew a leadoff walk and junior third baseman
Stephanie Senkevich (Washington, N.J.) was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with no outs; a fielder’s choice moved Strom to third, and two hitters later she crossed home plate courtesy of a single by freshman second baseman
Sydney Spitz (Shelton, Conn.).
The Bulldogs had an answer of their own in the bottom of the frame, however, riding a leadoff triple and double to two more runs for the 3-1 lead. The Ducks got one back in the top of the third when Strom brought Dempsey home on a two-out double.
Redlands put up two more runs in the bottom of the third to go up by three, then tacked three more on in the fourth. Stevens had another chance to score in the fourth but the inning ended on a strike-‘em-out-throw-‘em-out double play. The Ducks could not make anything of another Dempsey single in the top of the fifth inning, and once again the Bulldogs got the requisite two runs needed to close the game out, 10-2.
Spitz was a perfect 2-2 with one RBI for the Ducks while Strom was 1-2 with a double, walk, run and RBI. Dempsey went 2-3 with a run to extend her on-base streak to four games, over which she has hit .500 with a .636 on-base percentage and scored four runs. Sophomore
Brianna Sandone (Haddon Township, N.J.) suffered the loss, giving up eight earned runs over 4.1 innings.
Senior centerfielder Sarah Beeman (Corona, Calif.) was 2-2 with a triple, run and three RBI while freshman catcher Dani Santos (West Covina, Calif.) went 3-3 with a double, run and RBI. Sophomore Nikoli Sharp (Lincoln, Calif.) earned the win, surrendering two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one hitter over five innings.
Head Coach Erica Mehalick and the Ducks will return to Hoboken for their season-opening doubleheader against Fairleigh Dickinson-College at Florham (3-5) on Tuesday, March 19 at 3 p.m.