Stellar Pitching Carries CMS Baseball to Doubleheader Sweep of Chicago

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team used seven pitchers over the course of a doubleheader with the University of Chicago, and the staff combined to allow just two runs on seven hits, with 28 strikeouts, one walk and no earned runs over 17 innings of work, as the Stags took 11-1 and 6-1 wins on Saturday at Long Beach City College.

With the wins, CMS improves to 3-0 on the young season, after also earning a 12-2 win over the Maroons yesterday. Chicago opens up at 0-3 with the losses. 

In the nightcap, four Stag pitchers combined on a one-hitter, with Kody Perry getting the win by striking out 10 and allowing one hit in five innings of work. He gave way to Jackson Hisey, who struck out two in two innings, while Hamilton Finefrock and Lucas Welch each struck out two in the eighth and ninth, respectively. 

In the opener, Jake Tracey got the start and struck out three in three innings, before giving way to Andrew Blackett, who struck out two in the fourth. Bryant Smaaladen then threw the final four innings, striking out seven, and allowing just an unearned run offensively. 

Andrew Mazzone had arguably the biggest hit of the afternoon, a two-run blast in the third to put CMS ahead 2-0 in what was otherwise a strong pitcher's duel between Perry and Chicago's Jackson Bailey, who allowed two hits in six innings. 

Catcher Slader Spoor then had a big impact two ways, as he kept CMS in front 2-1 when he slid to his right to prevent what looked like a certain tying wild pitch after two CMS errors allowed a run to score in the top of the sixth. He then came up in the bottom of the seventh and delivered a key two-run single to put the Stags up 4-1.

Sanders added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1, and Rider Gordon closed out the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth, capping off a 3-for-3 nightcap. Mazzone also had a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4 with his two-run homer. 

In the opener, CMS scored single runs in the first, second, fourth and fifth, and then put crooked numbers up with a three-run seventh and a four-run eighth to enforce the 10-run rule. 

Dillon Martin opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first, which was followed by a Tyler Shaw RBI single in the second, a Mazzone RBI double in the fourth, and a Bryce Didrickson RBI single in the fourth. In the seventh, two runs came home on a failed pickoff attempt, and Shaw added an RBI double to make it 7-0. 

Didrickson and Derek Seneker had RBI walks with the bases loaded in the eighth, which was followed by an RBI single from Adam Dapkiewicz, and another RBI single from Nate Seluga to end it early via the 10-run rule. 

Shaw was 3-for-5 in the opener with two RBI, while Jack Potter was 2-for-2 with three walks. Didrickson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, Dapkiewicz finished 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Kieran Sidebotham was 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. 

CMS will be back in action next weekend when it travels to Southwestern (Texas) for a four-game series.