CMS Softball Splits on First Day of Tucson Invitational

TUCSON, Ariz. - Giselle Lai had a two-run triple to key a 3-1 win over Wisconsin-La Crosse in the first game of the Tucson Invitational, as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team split two games on Monday.

Eastern Connecticut held on for a 5-3 win over CMS in the second game of the day, as the Athenas move to 4-4 on the season overall.

Maya Weigel-Murphy started and got the win in the opener, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing only one hit against UW-La Crosse. Lai gave her all the support she would need in the third, as Kaili Aqui reached on an error and Destiny Garcia singled to set the table. Lai then tripled them both home, and then she scored herself on a squeeze bunt from Madison Gonzalez to stretch the lead to 3-0. 

UW Lacrosse got one run back in the fifth on an RBI double, and the Eagles got two runners on in the seventh and brought the go-ahead run to the plate with one out, but Jade Johnson finished off the save by getting the last two outs on pop-ups.

Lai stayed hot in the nightcap with a 2-for-3 performance with two runs scored, while Gonzalez was 3-for-4, Delanie Stevens was 2-for-3 and Sarah Loper was 2-for-4, but the Athenas scored three runs out of their 10 hits and came up just short. 
 
CMS trailed 2-0, but Avery O had a sacrifice fly and Loper had an RBI single to tie it. The Warriors plated three unearned runs in the fifth, and the Athenas tried to rally in the seventh as Lai walked and Gonzalez singled to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Eastern Connecticut was able to turn a double play as Lai scored to make it 5-3, but that was as close as the Athenas could come. 

CMS will play two more games tomorrow against Dickinson and Central (Iowa), before closing out on Wednesday against Sewanee.