REDLANDS, Calif. –
Tayah Kelley pitched a 12-strikeout, one-hit shutout to lead Linfield to an exciting 1-0 victory over longtime regional nemesis Redlands in the opening game of a two-game set Saturday at the Field of Dreams.
Redlands returned the favor in the nightcap, scoring the winning run in the seventh inning to break a 3-all tie on the way to a 4-3 victory over the 12th-ranked Wildcats.
With the split, Linfield sits at 3-1 on the young season.
GAME 1: Linfield 1, Redlands 0, 8 innings
Kelley went the distance in earning her second win in as many days. She faced 25 batters without issuing a walk, tossing 88 pitches.
Kaili Saathoff and
Cydney Hess both accounted for a pair of hits to lead the 'Cats at the plate.
The classic pitchers' duel remained scoreless across seven innings. In the decisive eighth frame,
Kamryn Mobley's ground-out sacrifice enabled pinch runner
Natalie Brinda to advance to third base.
Baily Paul then reach first base on an error, opening the door for Brinda to score the winning run.
Paul,
Katie Phillips and
Brynn Nelson also recorded hits in the game.
GAME 2: Redlands 4, Linfield 3
A sacrifice fly to right field by Kalyn Kershner scored Adyson Kim from third base, generating the winning run in the tightly contested battle.
Wildcats reliever
Kelsie Williams absorbed the loss. She relieved starter
Tyler Warden to begin the fifth inning.
Paul drove in a pair of runs and
Claire Seats tapped two hits to carry Linfield offensively. Hess and Mobley also registered hits in the game.
Linfield plated three runs in the second innings to open up a 3-1 advantage but the Bulldogs evened the score with a two-run burst in the third. The game remained deadlocked at 3 until the bottom of the seventh inning when Kershner's clutch sacrifice sealed the victory in Redlands' favor.
NEXT
The Wildcats play the third and final doubleheader of their non-conference tour through Southern California on Sunday when they visit regional rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
