Sam Reel - LA MIRADA, Calif

The Shepherds dropped an offensive battle on Saturday afternoon, as the Solana Beach Redbirds took down the Sheps 12-10. The two teams combined for 34 hits on the day, with the Shepherds responsible for sixteen. The Shepherds also made three errors on the day.

Shepherds' starter Jacob Brothers had some tough luck throughout his start, as there were several bloop singles and weakly hit balls throughout the outing. The Redbirds scored three in the top of the first inning before the Shepherds followed with eight runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Tanner Smith got things rolling for the Shepherds as his opposite-field two-run double to left field drove in Sebastian Dunn and Jackson Van Ness, each of whom walked. RBI singles by Chad Ragland and Will Cline gave the Shepherds the lead, and Nathan Weatherly added onto the lead with a two-run double of his own. In total, twelve men came to the plate for the Shepherds before the third out was recorded.

T. Smith finished with three hits and three RBI as he continued his hot stretch. Third baseman Tommy Acuna finished with three hits in the cleanup spot. Acuna now has four multi-hit games this season, with all four coming within the last six games.

The Redbirds would chip away over the next several innings, scoring six straight runs and taking a one-run 9-8 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. T. Smith would tie the game with an RBI single, and the score would remain tied until the sixth.

In the top of the sixth, pinch hitter Luc Stuka's two-run homer gave the lead to the Redbirds for the final time, as they would add on a run in the seventh and win by the score of 12-10. Redbirds' third baseman Danny Becerra and shortstop Harrison Rodgers each had a huge day, with the five and six hitters in the Redbird lineup each having four hits on the day.

The Shepherds' will return to play tomorrow at 1:00 pm as they take on the California Cage Rats.