Heading down the homestretch of the SCIAC regular season, the University of La Verne suffered its second straight defeat in falling 10-8 at the University of Redlands in conference baseball action on Monday.
The Bulldogs broke the game open with six runs in the fourth inning to take a 9-2 lead. Though the Leos got to within two runs in the eighth, they wouldn't get any closer as Redlands would hold on to the victory.
La Verne watched the Bulldogs take a 3-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first and one in the second inning.
In the top of the fourth, La Verne got on the board when Jason Moralez led off with a double and was followed by Michael Stewart who singled to advance Moralez to third. Albert Ramos drove in Moralez with a single for the Leos' first run. After loading the bases, George Hanna was hit by a pitch to plate Stewart to get within a run at 3-1.
The Bulldogs totaled four hits in the bottom of the frame en route to six runs. The key hit came from Marcus Himelhoch, who drove in three runs on a bases clearing double.
In the sixth, La Verne tallied three runs on a two-run single from Zach Canfield and an RBI groundout from Hanna. Trailing 10-6 in the eighth, the Leopards got a two-out, two-run single from Moralez to cut the deficit to 10-8. Bulldog reliever Eliot Smith pitched the final 1.2 innings to hold the Leopards scoreless to earn the save.
Redlands starter Adam Byrd earned the win after pitching 6.0 innings, yielding five runs,on seven hits while La Verne's Anthony Cerafice suffered the loss after tossing 3.1 innings and allowing six runs, including three earned, on six hits.
Ramos went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in while Stewart, Moralez and Canfield each went 2-for-5 with a run scored. For Redlands, Himelhoch went 2-for-3 with four RBI.
Despite the loss, the first-place Leopards (23-12, 18-6 SCIAC) maintain their three-game lead in the conference standings ahead of both Pomona-Pitzer and Cal Lutheran with four games to play. La Verne will face the Sagehens Friday in Claremont in a 3:00 pm start.
