Big First Inning Supports Korson's Pitching in CMS Baseball's 8-0 Win at Occidental

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Brandon Rho jump-started a five-run first inning with a two-run homer and Jarrett Korson threw seven shutout innings as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team opened up a three-game series with Occidental with an 8-0 win on Friday afternoon.

With the win, CMS improves to 14-12 overall and 3-7 in conference, and closes the gap on Occidental (5-8) before the two teams play finish their two-game series tomorrow

Tyler Shaw led the game off with a single, and one out later, Rho homered over the center field fence to stake the Stags to a 2-0 lead. Jack Potter then tacked on a two-run, two-out double, before advancing to third on the play at the plate, and then coming home on a wild pitch with the inning's fifth run.

Korson was efficient after being given a comfortable lead, only running into a little bit of trouble in the bottom of the fifth when Occidental had three straight singles with one out. The Tigers, though, ran into the second out on the basepaths, and Korson was able to coax a flyout to left with runners on first on third to keep the shutout in tact.

After the teams exchanged zeroes for five straight innings, Julian Sanders tacked on a run in the top of the seventh with an RBI single with two outs, scoring Evan Kelly, who led off with a hit by pitch. The Stags then closed out with two runs in the ninth inning, as Nick Wilson had an RBI single.

Korson allowed six hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking none as he improves to 5-1 on the season, while Hamilton Finefrock threw the final two innings to combine on the shutout. Wilson finished the game 3-for-5 as the only Stag with a multi-hit game, while Rho and Potter had two RBI.

The two teams will switch venues tomorrow to finish their three-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow at Arce Field, beginning at 11 a.m.