CMS Softball Takes Final Game of Redlands Series 3-1

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team bounced back from an opening game defeat to pick up a key 3-1 win over Redlands in the final game of the weekend series on Saturday at Athena Field.

Redlands took the opening game of the doubleheader 11-0 to temporarily pass CMS in the SCIAC standings, but the Athenas were able to pull back ahead by percentage points after the nightcap, standing at 18-9 overall and 9-3 in the league, while Redlands is now 24-9 overall and 10-4 in SCIAC play. 

Emma Suh was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in the nightcap. She gave CMS a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, when she had an RBI single to score Jacqueline Solomon who doubled with one out. 

After Redlands tied it in the top of the fourth, Solomon led off with another double and came home on Suh's second RBI single. Suh then used her speed to earn another run, as she tagged and went to second on a fly ball to left field, and then when Giselle Lai beat out an infield single to shortstop, Suh never stopped running and came around from second to make it 3-1. 

Jade Johnson came on in relief of Maya Loper with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth, and got a grounder to short to preserve the 3-1 lead. Kaili Aqui then had a huge defensive play in the seventh, robbing Leila Jackson of a double with a lunging catch at full speed in the left-center field gap. Johnson then got the final two outs routinely to finish off the save. 

Solomon, Suh and Rachel Sapirstein all finished 2-for-3 in the nightcap. CMS was held to just three hits in the opening game by Redlands starter Brianna Garcia, with Aqui, Sarah Loper and Averi O each reaching on singles. 

CMS will be back in action next weekend when it faces Whittier in a three-game series, beginning with a home game on Friday at 3 p.m.