Redlands Baseball Overcomes Six-Run Deficit To Beat Willamette
Source: goredlands.com
Photo by Emmerson Wright
Anthony Wright was the face of the game, with 3-for-4 with 5 RBIs.
The University of Redlands baseball team erased a six-run deficit by scoring 14 unanswered runs to secure a 14-9 non-conference victory over Willamette University (Salem, Oregon), hosted Sunday afternoon at The Yard.
The Bulldogs (10-11) trailed 6-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning before senior Anthony Thomas sparked the comeback with an RBI double to left-center, scoring senior Tanner Gerosa.
Later in the inning, senior Luke Hanson lined a ball to dead center that got past a diving outfielder, allowing Hanson to sprint around the bases for a three-run, inside-the-park home run. The blast scored sophomore Karlsen Drake and senior Sean McCance, cutting the deficit to 6-5.
Thomas tied the game in the fifth with an RBI single that brought home junior Nate Miller. Redlands then broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning fueled by "small ball" and opportunistic baserunning.
After McCance doubled and Hanson reached on a bunt single, a throwing error allowed McCance to score the go-ahead run. Senior Ian Umscheid followed with a clutch two-run double, and Gerosa added an RBI single to keep the line moving. The Bulldogs capped the inning with a bases-loaded walk from Thomas and an RBI single from sophomore Amani Wilson to push the lead to 12-6.
Redlands added two more in the seventh on an RBI double by Jesse Bullard and another RBI single from Thomas, who finished the day with a game-high five RBIs and three hits.
On the mound, sophomore Tanner Currier earned his second win of the season, throwing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Sophomore Aziz Bishop closed the door in the ninth, needing only six pitches to secure the win.
Gerosa led the offensive hit parade with a four-hit afternoon, while Hanson and Thomas each tallied three hits.
The Bulldogs return to action Friday, March 20, for a 3 p.m. matchup against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Azusa Pacific University.