CMS Baseball Salvages Final Game of Weekend Series with Combined Two-Hitter

ORANGE, Calif. - Three pitchers combined on a two-hitter and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team was able to push across four runs in the fifth inning and hold on for a 4-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer in the final game of a three-game weekend series at Hart Park.

Pomona-Pitzer won the first game of the series 14-1 on Friday and then won the opening game of Sunday's doubleheader 5-0 before the Stags were able to generate enough offense to win the third game. CMS now stands at 8-2 on the season and 1-2 in the SCIAC, while Pomona-Pitzer stands at 10-4 overall and 2-1 in league play. 

Jackson Hisey started the third game and struck out nine over 4.2 innings of work, before giving way to Hamilton Finefrock, who got the final out of the fifth inning to leave Pomona-Pitzer ahead 3-0. After the Stags went ahead 4-3 in the bottom half, Finefrock threw two more innings of no-hit relief to get the win, and Lucas Welch came on to throw the eighth and ninth to get the save without allowing a hit. 

Pomona-Pitzer did put two runners on with one out in the ninth on a hit by pitch and a walk, but Welch was able to end the game with a ground ball double play to Tyler Shaw at shortstop, with Dillon Martin turning it at second for the final out.

Rider Gordon started the fifth inning rally for the Stags with a single, which was followed by a walk to Shaw. Andrew Mazzone then went the other way for a double to plate Gordon with a run, and Julian Sanders followed with a two-run single to tie it. One out later, Jack Potter singled in Sanders with what turned out to be the game-winning run. 

Sanders was 2-for-4 at the plate for the Stags, the only player for either team to have a multi-hit game in the nightcap. Sanders was also 2-for-4 in the opening game, while Martin was 2-for-3, but CMS could muster only five hits and no runs. Hannoh Seo started and went 7.2 innings to get the win for the Sagehens, with Eric Prough finishing off the combined shutout. Parker McGraw had a terrific effort out of the CMS bullpen, keeping the Stags in it with 5.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing two hits and striking out four. 

The opening game of the series on Friday at Pomona-Pitzer saw CMS muster three hits, as Sagehen starter Jake Hilton was in command, while the Sagehens gave him plenty of support with eight runs in the first three innings. Kieran Sidebotham and Adam Dapkiewicz were each 1-for-2 for the Stags. 

CMS will be back in action on Friday when it begins the Tucson Invitational Games against Concordia (Wisconsin).