CMS Baseball Rallies for Comeback 7-6 Win over SCIAC-Leading La Verne

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Andrew Mazzone hit two home runs to extend his Stag record to 19 this season, and Adam Dapkewicz had his second straight walk-off hit, this time a two-out RBI single, as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team came back from a 4-0 deficit to take a 7-6 win over La Verne on Friday at Pomona-Pitzer's Alumni Field.

The victory was the ninth in a row for the Stags and improves their record to 27-10 overall and 15-7 in the SCIAC, keeping its hopes alive for a regular season title. La Verne slips to 17-5 with the loss, and the two teams play tomorrow, where a sweep would give the Stags a share of first, as well as the right to host the SCIAC Tournament. 

Dillon Martin started the comeback with a home run, Jack Potter hit a key two-run homer to tie it 5-5, and Hamilton Finefrock had a big outing in relief, throwing 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and striking out three to get the win. 

Mazzone was 4-for-5 on the day and started off the ninth inning with a double to center field, before coming out for pinch runner Wesley Wells. Julian Sanders was intentionally walked, and Martin put down a perfect sacrifice to advance the runners. With two outs, Dapkewicz was able to turn on a pitch and line a shot into left field to bring home Wells and send the Stags into a celebratory frenzy. 

The game-winning single came after Dapkewicz ended the previous contest with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth, breaking a 5-5 tie against Caltech on Saturday after he was one of the six players honored for Senior Day.

Finefrock helped keep the La Verne game deadlocked with a big strikeout to end the top of the ninth with runners on first and second. He improved to 3-1 on the seaosn with the win, while lowering his ERA to 0.67. 

CMS tied the score in the fifth inning 5-5, after Mazzone hit a solo homer to cut it to 5-3, and Jack Potter hit a two-run shot to tie it with two outs. La Verne went back up 6-5 in the sixth, but Mazzone deadlocked the game again with a solo homer in the seventh.  

After La Verne jumped out to a 4-0 lead, Martin led off the fourth inning with a solo home run. The Stags the had a two-out rally with nobody on, getting a second run on a Rider Gordon single and a Nate Seluga RBI double. 

The two teams will head to La Verne tomorrow, where the Leopards can secure the top seed and hosting rights by taking one of the two games. It is the exact same situation as a year ago (other than CMS was at home), when the Stags won the first game, but La Verne took the nightcap in a winner-take-all battle for first.