REDLANDS – After falling in an early hole, the University of La Verne baseball team mounted a rally in the late innings but could not complete the comeback as it dropped the first SCIAC game of the season 7-6 against Redlands at the Yard on Friday afternoon.
Redlands got on the board first when Jordan Dresner led off the Redlands 3rd with a homerun to deep left center. Alex Scheiwe followed with a single and came around to score later in the inning on a Mark Tumlinson sacrifice fly to left field to put the Bulldogs up 2-0.
The Leopards knotted things up at 2-2 in the 5th when Jared Hovsepian and Nolan Henley scored a pair of unearned runs after an error by right fielder Connor Hancock.
But the Bulldogs responded right away. Dresner walked to lead off the bottom of the 5th, Scheiwe tripled to right center and Hancock made up for his miscue in the top half of the inning with a single to score two quick runs. Redlands then added two more with a sacrifice fly and a Max Hardman RBI single.
La Verne kept fighting as they have shown at the Arizona Desert Classic last weekend. Hovsepian drove in Mark Jebbia in the 7th and Michael Reyes scored on a balk by Hayden Haight to chip away at the lead and the Leopards looked primed to finish the comeback in the 9th.
Down 7-4, Reyes doubled down the right field line to plate Jebbia and Hovsepian, who had led off the inning with a pair of walks. But Redlands intentionally walked Joe Winterburn to set up a force out at every base with one out and Max Winkelhake came on to get two straight outs to earn the save.
Reyes finished with three hits, two RBIs and a run scored for the Leopards. Hovsepian was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run.
Donald Hernandez made his first career start and went four innings, give up two run.
Hardman and Scheiwe each collected three hits for the Bulldogs.
La Verne and Redlands continue their series at Rio Hondo Community College tomorrow with a doubleheader. First game starts at 11 a.m.
