Unlucky Ninth Leaves CMS Baseball Just Short, Spoils 6-for-6 Day from Shaw

AZUSA, Calif. - Trailing by two in the ninth, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team lined into a double play and had a potential walk-off homer travel just a few feet foul as it ended up on the short end of an 11-9 defeat to Lewis & Clark in a battle between two teams that came in with undefeated records in the early part of the 2023 campaign at Azusa Pacific.

Tyler Shaw was 6-for-6 for the Stags from his leadoff position in the batting order. With the loss, CMS slips to 3-1 on the season after sweeping three from George Fox last weekend, while Lewis & Clark moves to 5-0 after winning three against Occidental and one against Whittier last week.  

CMS led 8-2 after five innings, but the Pioneers jumped in front 10-8 with a nine-run seventh. The Stags started off the ninth trailing 11-9 and began with three straight line drive bullets. The first two resulted in singles from Miles Cook and Shaw, but in between Mitchell Mashiko hit a rope down the third base line that was snagged by Pioneer third baseman Jack Thompson, who threw to first for a double play. 

Jack Potter then beat out an infield single to put two runners on and two outs, and Nick Wilson hit a long fly ball down the right-field foul line that had enough distance for a walk-off homer, but it curved outside the foul pole. Wilson ended up drawing a walk, and Julian Sanders made a bid for a tying two-run single into shallow center, but second baseman Jack Savant was able to race back and make the catch to end the game. 

Cook finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Mashiko was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI, and an unlucky double play in the ninth. Jarrett Korson had his second straight solid start on the mound, striking out six and walking none over six innings, while allowing three runs and taking a no-decision. 

The two teams will complete their three-game series at Azusa Pacific with a doubleheader tomorrow at 11 a.m.