Athenas Open the 2018 Season with a Win

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team earned their first victory of the season in Friday's home opener. The Athenas battled the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers and came away with a 2-0 win. Molly Spaniac (CMC) tallied her first collegiate hit while Anna Gurr (CMC) went the distance in the circle for her first win of the season.

Head coach Gina Oaks Garcia handed the ball to senior pitcher Anna Gurr to start the first game of the 2018 season. Gurr sat down the Pioneers in order the first time through the lineup, collecting three strikeouts in her first three innings of work.

Lewis & Clark starter, Megan Anderson, went toe-to-toe with Gurr all afternoon and kept the Athenas off the board through the first three innings as well. CMS dented the scoreboard for the first time when Chloe Amarilla (CMC) got things started in the home half of the fourth with a single through the left side and advanced to third on an error. Kawai Scanlan (SC) notched her first career RBI with a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing in Amarilla to put CMS up 1-0.

The Pioneers attempted to answer back in the top of the fifth but a ground ball turned into two outs when Reeve Grobecker (CMC), Carly Roleder (CMC) and Briana Halle (CMC) turned two to end the threat.

Spaniac, who sent a line drive up the middle in the first inning for her first career hit, reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the sixth. After taking second on a wild pitch, Spaniac reached third on a double off the bat of Roleder. A Lewis & Clark misplay allowed Spaniac to score and extend the Athenas' lead to 2-0.

Gurr sat the last Pioneer batter down on strikes to end the game as the Athenas hung on to win 2-0.

Spaniac, Amarilla and Roleder each had hits in the game and Scanlan collected the lone RBI.

Gurr earned her first win of the season with five strikeouts in her seven innings of work. She worked efficiently, throwing just 68 pitches with 50 for strikes.

CMS jumps right into SCIAC play tomorrow when they head to La Verne for a rematch of the 2017 SCIAC Championship Game. The Athenas square off with the Leopards in a doubleheader beginning at noon.