CMS Baseball Run-Rules Two Foes to Sweep Weekend at Tucson Invitational

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team clicked on all cylinders as it closed out the Tucson Invitational with a pair of wins that were shortened to seven innings due to the 10-run rule, defeating Crown 14-2 and Macalaster 14-0 on Monday.

Julian Sanders was 5-for-5 with a homer and six RBI, driving in at least one run with all five of his hits, in the opener, and Andrew Mazzone hit his third home run of the weekend in the nightcap for the Stags, who improve to 12-2 on the year and 11-0 in non-conference games. Crown falls to 1-1 and Macalaster slips to 1-8 with the losses. 

CMS also defeated Hamline 9-3 and Carthage 11-6 on Sunday to go 4-0 over the two-day tournament, which had its Friday and Saturday games cancelled due to rain and field conditions. 

The Stag pitching staff also allowed just two runs in 14 innings of work, and defensively, CMS did not commit an error in either game. 

Sanders got things started in the Crown game with a two-run homer in the first inning. The Polars got one of the runs back on a solo homer in the second, but CMS scored three times in the second and four times in the third to take a commanding 9-1 lead. 

Mazzone had a two-run single to push the lead to 4-1, which was followed by an RBI double from Sanders. In the third, Dillon Martin hit an RBI double, Rider Gordon had an RBI single, Mazzone had a sacrifice fly, and Sanders capped it off with an RBI single to make him 3-for-3 with four RBI in the first three innings. 

Sanders added another RBI single in the fifth, and Blaise Heher had a two-run single. Sanders capped off the CMS scoring in the sixth with an RBI single. 

Mazzone was 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Heher was 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs, and two RBI. Bryant Smaaladen threw three shutout innings in relief to get the win, after Kody Perry started and allowed just one run in three innings of work. 

Slader Spoor kick-started CMS on its way to a 14-0 win in the nightcap with a three-run homer in the second, which was followed by a Mazzone solo shot in the third to start a four-run inning, capped by a two-run single from Gordon. Heher stayed hot in the nightcap against Macalster, hitting 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, while Mazzone was 2-for-3 with a homer and two walks. Thomas Worth added a two-run triple and Joey Wilson had a two-run double.  

Aaron Herst started and threw 4.2 innings, striking out five, while Berkeley Harsch got the win as the first releiver. Lucas Welch and Hamilton Finefrock each threw shutout innings out of the bullpen. 

CMS will return to SCIAC play this weekend for a big three-game series with Cal Lutheran, facing the Kingsmen in a single game on Friday against Biola, and then traveling to Thousand Oaks for a Saturday doubleheader.