Lauren Richards Named SCIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week for Third Time

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps freshman Lauren Richards earned the SCIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week award for the third time this season, the league office announced today.

Richards earned the honor this time after going 2-0 with a save to have a hand in all three Athena wins, as CMS took three out of four in a big weekend road swing through Pomona-Pitzer and La Verne. After the Athenas dropped the opener to Pomona-Pitzer on Friday, Richards responded with a big performance, coming five outs from a no-hitter before settling for a three-hit complete-game win in a 2-1 victory to help CMS salvage the split. 

On Saturday, Richards took the circle in the opening game at La Verne and threw a complete-game five-hitter as the Athenas took a 5-1 victory. In the nightcap, she came in relief in the bottom of the fifth with CMS clinging to a 6-5 lead and left the bases loaded, before closing out the final 2.1 innings to get the save as the Athenas completed the sweep 7-5. 

With the two wins, Richards now leads the SCIAC in pitching victories this season, standing 16-2 on the year. She has helped CMS to a 27-6 overall record and a 21-1 mark in the SCIAC, making the Athenas a virtual lock to host the conference tournament this year, holding a four-game lead (and the tiebreaker) on Pomona-Pitzer with six games left to play. 

Earlier this season, Richards captured the SCIAC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 18 after a strong effort in a 3-1 win over Chapman in her SCIAC debut. After teammate Chloe Amarilla won it on Feb. 25, Richards earned her second on Feb. 4 after she picked up a 2-0 shutout win over Pomona-Pitzer the first time the two teams met. 

CMS will try to clinch the regular season title and home field advantage throughout the SCIAC playoffs on Friday, when it hosts Redlands for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Athena Field.