CMS Softball Drops Both Ends of Twin Bill Against Vanguard

CLAREMONT, Calif. -- The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team fell twice to Vanguard by the scores of 2-0 and 12-1 in a Saturday doubleheader at Athena Field.

The Athenas fell to 2-3 overall with the losses and the Lions improve to 11-3 overall with the pair of victories. CMS hosts Pacific Lutheran tomorrow for another doubleheader at Athena Field beginning at 12 p.m. 

Game 1

CMS managed just two hits through the first five innings and were kept off-balance by Lions starting pitcher Vanessa Dwyer who held the Athenas to just five hits over a complete-game 7.0-inning shutout with two strikeouts in the 2-0 victory. Vanguard opened the scoring in the top of the second when Emily Howard launched a solo home run pushing the Lions in front 1-0 through one-and-a-half innings. 

Lauren Richards singled to second base in the bottom of the second inning for the Athenas first hit of the game and Jessica Fox singled to shortstop moving Richards to second but the Athenas left the runners on and remained off the board, trailing 1-0 through two innings.

Vanguard extended its lead in the top of the fourth when pinch-hitter Sadi Hartman singled to center to score Howard and extend its lead to 2-0. The Athenas did not record another hit until the bottom of the sixth when Ananya Koneti singled to right field and Megan Perron singled to center putting two runners on but a diving play in right field would rob Maddie Valdez of an RBI and extra bases keeping the Athenas scoreless and leaving two runners on, 2-0 through six. 

In the seventh inning, Fox singled to left with two outs but a flyout to center field ended the threat and the game as the Athenas dropped to 2-2 overall with the 2-0 final score. Fox led the way with two hits in three at-bats. Koneti, Perron, and Richards each tallied one hit apiece. 

Richards was solid in the circle despite taking the loss, tossing 7.0 innings and allowing just two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts moving her record to 2-1 on the season. 

Game 2 

The second game of the doubleheader got away from the Athenas in a hurry after a good start with one run in the bottom of the first. Richards doubled to left field scoring Koneti after she walked with one out in the frame. 

In the second inning, Vanguard took advantage of an error by the Athenas and tallied seven runs on five hits to move in front 7-1 through two innings of play. After scoring a run in the first inning, the Athenas managed just three hits against Lions starter Courtney Thornhill, who earned her sixth win of the season, surrendering one earned run over 5.0 innings with two walks and three strikeouts.

The Lions poured it on with one run in the third inning on an RBI-single to right field by Cassie Balswick, two runs in the top of the fourth inning on a triple by Ariana Huffman scoring Howard and Tatiana Tabizon, and two more runs in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI-single to right by Hannah Corrado and a single to center by Hartman to run-rule the Athenas, 12-1. 

CMS drops to 2-3 overall with the two losses and welcomes Pacific Lutheran to Athena Field tomorrow for another doubleheader with the first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.