CMS Softball Celebrates Senior Day, Earns Series Win over Pomona-Pitzer

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team honored its three seniors prior to a doubleheader with Pomona-Pitzer, Jade Johnson, Destiny Garcia and Ellie Novogradac, and went on to win the first game of the doubleheader 5-2, before falling in the nightcap 3-2 in 11 innings.

Johnson and Novogradac were the winning battery in the opening game, as Johnson threw 4.1 innings and left with a 4-0 lead, and then reentered in the sixth to close it out after the Sagehens got back within 5-2.

CMS now stands at 23-10 overall and 14-4 in the SCIAC, tied with Redlands for first place with one weekend series remaining, after taking two of three from the Sagehens over the weekend. Redlands would have the tiebreaker should the teams end up in a two-way deadlock. 

Johnson retired the side in order in the top of the first after being honored on Senior Day, and then CMS struck quickly for two runs in the bottom half. Kaili Aqui led off with a single, and then Giselle Lai homered over the right field fence to put CMS ahead 2-0. It was Lai's second career home run, although the first was of the inside-the-park variety after her line drive in the gap eluded the dive of the opposing center fielder. 

Jacqueline Solomon added an RBI single to make it a three-run first inning, and then tacked on an RBI double in the third. Emma Suh plated another run in the fifth on an infield single to make it 5-0. Pomona-Pitzer was able to get the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Johnson retired the final two batters on a fly out to center and a grounder to short. 

Solomon finished 2-for-2 in the opening game with a walk and two RBI, while Lai was 2-for-4 with two RBI. 

In the nightcap, Lai was 2-for-5, including an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the tenth to tie the score 2-2 and prolong the game, but Bella Carreon had an RBI single in the 11th for Pomona-Pitzer that held up, scoring Summer Gibson, who was placed on second due to the international tiebreaker rule, which began in the 10th inning. Solomon nearly tied it again in the bottom of the 11th, but her line drive went straight to Carreon at shortstop for the final out of the game. 

CMS will host Chapman on Friday to begin its final weekend series, as the Athenas will try to earn the regular season title and the top seed in the SCIAC Tournament.