The No. 19 University of Redlands baseball team held off Menlo College in its first game in the California Classic at The Yard on Friday, winning 7-3.

Both starting pitchers dueled throughout the game as the two gave up a combined seven runs in starts that went deep into the ballgame.

Redlands struck first in the third inning when senior outfielder/catcher Kyle Rizzo (Redlands, CA) singled to shortstop and subsequently stole second. Senior infielder Tony Stutevoss (Portland, OR) advanced Rizzo on a groundout to the shortstop, and Rizzo reached home on an RBI single by junior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR). Johnson tagged up and moved to second on a long fly out to centerfield and hustled his way home by means of a double by senior outfielder Cory Vane (Simi Valley, CA).

The Oaks brought the score within one in the top of the sixth with a run off of a botched double play attempt. Menlo then evened the score its next time up due to the speed of Joel Hull.

Senior pitcher/infielder Evan Dunn (Portland, OR) scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning off of a single up the middle by junior shortstop Zack Braband (Alameda, CA).

The Maroon and Gray stamped the win with a four-run eighth that started with a Johnson double to right center. Senior utility player Will Wetmore (Santa Cruz, CA) filled in for sophomore first baseman Manny Cardeiro (San Diego, CA) on the base paths following Cardeiro’s advancement to first after getting hit by a pitch. Menlo called in reliever Darren Takasaki, and Takasaki started out his stint on the mound with an error, loading up the bases. All three men on board scored after senior outfielder Jordan Snider (Temecula, CA) ripped a bases-clearing double to left center, which gave the Bulldogs a 6-2 lead. Sophomore outfielder Brandon Owashi (San Diego, CA) came in to pinch hit and drove in Snider.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, Shane Parsons blasted a pitch over the leftfield wall and onto Cornell Avenue, giving the Oaks a fighting chance in a time of desperation as he did in the waning moments of their game against the Scarlet Raiders just a few hours prior. A Kyle Wilkerson groundout to Braband effectively ended the game, giving 19th-ranked Redlands its fifth consecutive win and its ninth victory in 10 games.

Senior pitcher/first baseman Nolan Nicholson (Fullerton, CA) got the ball at the start of the game and pitched a solid outing, going seven innings while allowing one earned run and striking out seven. For the fourth time this season, sophomore Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) effectively closed up shop, notching the save with two strikeouts.

Menlo’s Sam Chang surrendered five runs on seven hits and shouldered the loss for the Oaks.

Redlands (10-3, 6-0 SCIAC) battles the University of Puget Sound (WA) tomorrow in a non-conference doubleheader at The Yard. The first game is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.