CMS Falls in Opening Round of SCIACs, Faces Cal Lutheran on Friday

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team rallied in the final three innings to pull within three runs, but Pomona-Pitzer was able to hang on after a 10-run fourth inning to take a 13-10 win on Thursday in the first round of the double-elimination SCIAC Postseason Tournament.

With the loss, CMS falls to 28-12 and will next host Cal Lutheran at Pomona-Pitzer in an elimination game tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Kingsmen had a 4-2 lead in the ninth at La Verne, but the top-seeded Leopards were able to come from behind with a three-run ninth to move into the winner's bracket to face Pomona-Pitzer tomorrow. 

The Stags trailed 11-0 going into the seventh inning, when Jack Potter led off with a solo home run to break the ice. Pomona-Pitzer got both runs that CMS scored back in the bottom half on a two-run homer from Isaac Kim, but CMS was able to score twice more in the eighth on a pinch-hit two-run single from Bryce Didrickson. 

CMS put some pressure on Pomona-Pitzer in the ninth, loading the bases with nobody out on a Nate Seluga walk and singles from Blaise Heher and Tyler Shaw, before Andrew Mazzone singled back to the pitcher to bring home the first run. After a Julian Sanders sacrifice fly cut the lead to 13-6, CMS re-loaded the bases with two outs, and Jack Cahill walked to bring home a run.

Rider Gordon then cleared the bases with a three-run double to make it 13-10 and get the tying run into the on-deck circle. Reliever Eric Prough, though, got the final out with a strikeout to end the six-run ninth and advance the Sagehens into the winner's bracket. 

Sanders finished the game 3-for-4 for the Stags, while Potter was 2-for-4 with a homer and three runs scored. Henry Connell, Stryker Scales and Max Buchanan each had scoreless stints out of the bullpen for CMS. 

The Stags took two out of three from Cal Lutheran during the regular season, winning the opening game 5-3 and the rubber game 6-3, while falling in the middle game 5-2. Mazzone was 3-for-3 with two walks for CMS in the finale, after a 2-for-4, two-RBI effort in the opener.