Softball smacks Chapman in SCIAC opener followed by rare tie with Pacific

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team went 2-1-1 on the weekend beating SCIAC foe Chapman twice (13-2 5 inn., 16-3) on Friday night and then facing off against Northwest Conference opponent, Pacific University for an extra-inning loss (3-2, 8inn.) and a tie due to darkness (1-1, 7 inn.) on Saturday. After the fist conference double header, the Athenas are in a tie for first in SCIAC.

In the SCIAC opener on Friday night under the lights in Orange, Calif., CMS scored 29 runs in 12 innings of play. The first game was highlighted by sophomore Carly Roleder's (CMC) first homerun of the 2016 campaign. Last season, the All-SCIAC selection tied the single season homerun record in the program with nine blasts. Also in the first game, freshman Abigail Metsch (SCR) and senior Tara Robinson (CMC) hit RBI doubles to tack on even more runs. Sophomore hurler, Anna Gurr (CMC) had a solid showing only allowing one earned run in four and two thirds innings.

Senior Molly Rubidoux (CMC) earned her first win of the season in game two shutting out Chapman for six and two thirds innings while scattering five hits and striking out five. Offensively, two Athenas came up with big pinch hit RBIs: junior Melanie Carlson (CMC) scored Katie Savard (CMC) and Carlene Roberts (CMC) in the top of the seventh and freshman Hannah Berg (CMC) shot one right back up the middle in the fifth for two more runs. Freshman Reeve Grobecker (CMC) showed her speed with her first collegiate triple. Over both games, senior Janelle Shiozaki CMC) had four RBI.

On an uncharacteristically hot day in February, the Athenas squared off with Pacific University from Forest Grove, Ore. On Saturday. The Boxers had swept through four games of competition against SCIAC programs beating Cal Lu twice and Pomona-Pitzer and Whittier each once in the previous days. Pacific threw their ace, Marissa Reichard who had success against CMS and ultimately earned the extra-inning win in the first game.

The Athenas had to fight back from a 2-0 deficit when Pacific got on the board in the fourth inning. Junior Alexa Heydenberk (CMC) drove in Elaine Wang (CMC) to score CMS' first run to punch back in the bottom of the inning. Then, in the sixth, they tied it up by capitalizing on a Boxer error and Roleder was able to score.

The international tiebreaker rule came into effect in the non-conference game, landing a runner on second base to begin the eighth inning. Pacific's runner was able to advance to third base on a wild pitch and then score easily off a deep sacrifice fly.

The length and intensity of the first game seemed to have an effect on the second game as there were only five hits in the game combining both teams. The Athenas scored their only run in the fifth inning when sophomore Sarah Whitney (CMC) earned a two-out walk and scored on a subsequent triple by Roleder.

In each of the sixth and seventh innings, CMS stranded three runners after loading up the bases but being unable to push any more runs across. Again, Rubidoux showed off her stuff by going all seven innings giving up one run off two hits and fanning three batters.

The game was called at the completion of the seventh inning as darkness descended for a rare tie.

CMS (3-2-1, 2-0 SCIAC) next hosts La Verne (3-0, 2-0 SCIAC) on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 12 and 2 p.m.

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