18-0 in the SCIAC! CMS Softball Rallies Late to Sweep Doubleheader Over Cal Lutheran

CLAREMONT, Calif.- The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team run-ruled Cal Lutheran in Game 1, 17-2 and rallied from three runs down to take Game 2, 4-3 to earn its eighth consecutive victory with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday at Athena Field.

The Athenas improve to 24-5 overall and remain undefeated in the SCIAC at 18-0 with the twin-bill sweep of Cal Lutheran. The Regals fall to 8-22 and 2-16 in the SCIAC with the losses. CMS moved up to 9th in the country in the latest edition of the NFCA Division III poll that came out this past Wednesday and looked to keep rolling coming into a matchup with the Regals who sat in last place in the conference entering today's game. The Athenas were led by Chloe Amarilla from the circle and the plate as she allowed one earned run in a Game 1 victory and combined to drive in five runs in two games. 

Megan Perron drove in three runs during her combined four-hit effort as the Athenas swept their fourth consecutive doubleheader with nothing but SCIAC twin-bills remaining on the schedule. Today's sweep sets up the second matchup between the top two teams in the SCIAC at Pomona-Pitzer (13-4) on Apr. 12. 

Game 1

CMS pounced early and often on Cal Lutheran in Game 1 to the tune of 17 runs on 16 hits in a run-rule victory. 

The Athenas took little time getting on the board in the opener with a one run in the bottom of the first when Perron singled to center to score Amarilla and give the home team a 1-0 lead. CMS added to its lead in the home half of the second with 10 runs on seven hits and two errors. Amarilla hit an inside the park grand slam to right field as Savannah Green, Jessica Fox, and Rachel Perley all scored on her fourth home run of the season and second grand slam. 

SB: GRAND SLAM! Amarilla clears the bases with an inside the park homer! 5-0 CMS leads CLU, bot 2nd #GoAthenas pic.twitter.com/AOCSYKhUAk

— CMS Athletics (@AthleticsCMS) April 6, 2019

The Athenas batted around the lineup in the second inning as Perron and Maddie Valdez each plated a run with back-to-back singles to center field. After Perley walked to open the frame, she followed with a single to left to score Megan Mendez, who pinch ran for Valdez after her hit. 

Later in the frame, the Athenas added three runs on two errors and stretched the advantage to 11-0 through two innings. 

The offense was not done for CMS as it brought across four runs on four hits in the home-half of the third inning. Fox drove in Valdez with a single to left field with the bases loaded and Lauren Richards scored on a wild pitch. The Athenas added two more runs on a ground out by Green scoring Kawai Scanlan and Jordan Bassett laced a single to right and Fox touched home to give the Athenas a 15-0 advantage. 

CMS added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth and coasted to a 17-2 victory over the Regals, the 17 runs tied a season-high which was set on Mar. 16 at Occidental. Amarilla (W, 8-3) earned her eighth win of the season by tossing 5.0 innings, allowing one earned run with three walks and four strikeouts to clinch her sixth complete game of the season. 

Game 2 

The second game was quite the opposite of the first, as the Athenas were held off the board until the bottom of the fifth inning by a solid start from Regals pitcher Olivia Serrano. 

Cal Lutheran held a 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the fifth. The Regals broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth when Lexie Findley reached first on an error and Celeste Ekman scored to put CLU in front 1-0 through three and a half. 

The Athenas had five hits through four innings but were unable to get any runs across. CLU scored two runs in the top of the fifth when Kendal Marinesi hit her eighth home run of the season a two-run shot to give CLU a 3-0 lead through the top of the fifth. 

CMS responded quickly in the bottom of the fifth with three runs on four hits including an RBI single by Perron to score Fox, a sacrifice fly by Valdez to score Amarilla and a double by Ananya Koneti to tie the game 3-3 through five innings. 

SB: Koneti caps a three-run inning with an RBI double. CMS 3, CLU 3 - T6 #GoAthenas pic.twitter.com/KOYO1LSW7X

— CMS Athletics (@AthleticsCMS) April 6, 2019

Cal Lutheran was set down in order in the top of the sixth setting up a big home half of the frame with momentum squarely on the side of CMS. The Athenas capitalized and brought in the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly by Amarilla scoring Scanlan and putting the Athenas in front for good, 4-3. 

Richards (W, 14-2) allowed three total runs (two earned) and struck out two with three walks over 7.0 innings from the circle to earn her 14th win of the season - a win number that currently leads the conference. Amarilla, Perron, and Scanlan each recorded four hits for the day.

Scanlan recorded her second triple of the season in Game 2 and Koneti doubled in a run for her only hit of the day.  

The Athenas clinch their 8th consecutive victory with the doubleheader sweep and remain atop the SCIAC and undefeated in the conference with an 18-0 record. CMS softball is back in action at Pomona-Pitzer on Fri., Apr. 12 with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 2 p.m.