Seniors (left to right): CJ Novogradac, Andre Simoneau, Pat Shore, Jacob McGowan, Ryan Motter, Jack Savard, Nick DeGallier, and Deji Andrew were honored in pregame. (Photo by Daniel Addison)
Seniors (left to right): CJ Novogradac, Andre Simoneau, Pat Shore, Jacob McGowan, Ryan Motter, Jack Savard, Nick DeGallier, and Deji Andrew were honored in pregame. (Photo by Daniel Addison)

CMS Baseball Rallies From Four Runs Down, Falls 8-6 in 11 Innings to La Verne on Senior Day

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Baseball team trailed 6-2 to La Verne going into the bottom of the seventh inning but a two-run single by Henri Levenson would pull the Stags to within one run and a solo home run by Marco Castillo in the bottom of the ninth forced extra innings. La Verne answered with two runs in the top of the 11th and the Stags fell 8-6 on Senior Day at Arce Field.

CMS falls to 18-13-1 overall and 11-11 in the SCIAC with the loss. La Verne improves to 28-10 overall and 15-7 in conference play with the win and has tightened its grip on the second spot in the conference.

The Leopards grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when Brandon Vogel doubled to left-center scoring Lukas Granado and Ryan Galan drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center field as Jacob Benson touched home. 

La Verne added two more runs to its lead in the top of the third inning when Chris Ligot hit a two-run home run to left field, marking his first homer of the season and extending the Leopards advantage to 4-0 through the visitor's third. 

In the home half of the frame, CMS got on the board when Castillo singled to center field with runners on the corners scoring senior Ryan Motter and cutting the deficit to three runs, 4-1.

La Verne grabbed back a four-run lead in the top of the fourth when Tanner Siffert reached first on a two-out error and Benson scored pushing the advantage for the Leopards to four runs, 5-1. 

The Stags slowly chipped their way back into the ball game starting at the bottom of the fourth. Truman Miller drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Jack Savard and cutting the score to a three-run game, 5-2. 

The Leopards added a run on a single by Ligot to center pushing the deficit for the Stags to four runs once again 6-2. The Stags loaded the bases in the seventh inning and Castillo was hit by a pitch to cut the deficit to three runs, 6-3. 

Later in the frame, Henri Levenson would lace a single off the first base bag and down the right field line scoring Motter and Kevin Nakahara to pull the Stags to within one run, 6-5. 

The one run score would hold until the bottom of the ninth, when with one out Castillo stepped into the box and drilled his second home run of the season, a solo blast to left field, to tie the game 6-6 and force extra innings. 

Both teams went quietly through the 10th inning as the Stags made contact but flied out for all three of their outs in the frame. 

In the 11th inning, the Leopards would break through with two runs on one hit. Siffert doubled to left field to score Brandon Vogel and Jacob Barriga was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded scoring Siffert to put La Verne up 8-6 and put the Stags up against their final three outs. 

Levenson singled to second base with two outs in the bottom of the inning but Savard lined out to second and the Stags fell in 11 innings by the final of 8-6. 

Justin Hull was touched up for five earned runs (six total runs) on 10 hits over 6.2 innings marking the second-most earned runs he has surrendered in a game this season (most; 6 at Redlands, Mar. 3) and did not earn a decision or complete the game for the first time in his last four starts. Cameron Cash (L, 2-3) was saddled with the loss after throwing 4.0 innings and allowing just one hit, but permitting two runs (both earned) with three walks, and two strikeouts. Danny Porras was called on to get the Stags out of the top of the 11th inning and did so working 0.1 of an inning. 

Savard recorded his first three-hit game of the season and has a multi-hit performance in each of his last three games to stretch his hitting streak to four games. Castillo hit his second homer of the year for one of his two hits in the game, and Levenson drove in two runs with his pivotal single in the seventh inning during his two-hit performance. Nakahara finished 2-for-5 with one run scored and one walk as the first seven batters in the CMS order had at least one hit. 

CMS Baseball travels to La Verne for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. tomorrow to close out the 2019 regular season.