REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands baseball team (6-4) lost game one of their four-game series, 23-8, with Whitworth University on Friday afternoon at The Yard.

The Bulldogs found themselves in a big hole after the first half inning after the Pirates scored five times.

Following a sixth Whitworth run in the second, Jake Burgess drove in Gabriel Ceja to get Redlands on the board. Then in the third, Mark Kirkland singled home Luke De Vries and CJ Brown to pull the Bulldogs within three, 6-3.

Whitworth responded in the next half inning with four runs. Mason Chetcuti, however, kept the offense going with a two-run double into right center that scored Burgess and Nate Miller.

In the fifth the Pirates put the comeback attempt to bed with nine runs as they led 19-5.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh needing eight runs to avoid the 10-run rule, they got an RBI double from Aziz Bishop and an RBI single through the left side by Neal Baron. Whitworth, though, would end the threat and secure the series-opening win.

De Vries, Ceja, Miller, and Brown all reached base two times. John Hernandez threw the final 0.2 of the game and was the lone pitcher to not allow any runs.

Games two and three begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning.