CMS Softball Sweeps Cal Lutheran to Earn SCIAC Series Win

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-2 win in the opener and then controlled the nightcap to take a 7-1 win and earned the doubleheader sweep and the series win over Cal Lutheran on Saturday at Athena Field.

CMS, which dropped a road game at Cal Lutheran yesterday 11-9 to start the three-game series, improves to 3-5 on the year and 2-1 in SCIAC play. Cal Lutheran slips to 1-8 overall and 1-2 in the conference. 

Heather Shipley and Jade Johnson each had complete game wins for the Athenas in the pitching circle. Shipley scattered seven hits in the opener, striking out three, while Johnson yielded five hits in the nightcap and struck out four. 

Shipley seemed destined for a tough-luck loss, as the Athenas trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Emma Suh, though, got things started with a double down the left field line, moved to third on a groundout from Ananya Koneti, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ellie Novagradac. 

Not content with just the one run, CMS added four more to take control. Destiny Garcia hit a low line drive to left that turned into a triple when the Cal Lutheran left fielder tried to make a running shoestring catch. A throwing error then allowed Garcia to score with the tying run, and Lauren Richards singled to put runners on first and second.

Paige Zimmerman came through with an RBI single to score the go-ahead run, and Kristin LeBlanc capped off the inning with a two-run double. Shipley allowed a two-out single in the seventh, but closed the door by ending the game with a strikeout looking. 

In the nightcap, Ari Livi staked CMS to a 1-0 lead with an RBI single, scoring Koneti after Garcia also singled in the inning. After Cal Lutheran tied it 1-1 in the top of the third on a solo homer from Makayla Lopez, Richards gave the Athenas a 3-1 lead with a double to left. Ashleigh Adkins capped off the CMS scoring with an RBI single in the sixth. Garcia was 2-for-2 in the nightcap for CMS, while Kaili Aqui was 1-for-1 with a walk. 

CMS will be back in action when it travels to the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Georgia this weekend to play some of the top competition in Division III.