CMS Softball Has Late Comeback to Split with No. 12 Linfield

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Trailing 5-0 in the nightcap, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team scored twice in the fifth and six times in the sixth to come from behind and take an 8-6 win over No. 12 Linfield on Sunday at Athena Field.

With the split, CMS moves to 5-1 on the year and picks up a key regional win by coming back in the nightcap after being no-hit through the first 4.1 innings. Linfield, which won the opener 8-4, now stands at 4-2 with the split. 

Maya Loper threw 4.0 innings of relief to get the win, finishing off with her twin sister Sarah Loper behind the plate, after Sarah pinch-hit to lead off the six-run rally in the seventh. Loper nearly had four shutout innings, but Linfield was able to string together three singles in the seventh to score a run and bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but Loper was able to end it with a routine pop-up to short. 

CMS began its comeback in the fifth when Paige Zimmerman broke up the no-hitter with an RBI single with one out in the first. Zimmerman was 2-for-3 with three RBI in the nightcap, after tallying an inside-the-park homer in defeat in the opener, when her line drive down the right field line eluded the dive of Baily Paul. Zimmerman then came home on a successful squeeze bunt from Ellie Novogradac to close the deficit to 5-2. 

After Loper left a runner stranded on second after a two-out double, CMS flipped the script with a big six-run inning. Sarah Loper led off with a single to center, and went to second on a single from Abby Thompson. Madison Gonzalez then had an RBI single to close the gap to 5-3. An error loaded the bases, and Zimmerman tied the score with a two-run single up the middle, leaving two runners on and still nobody out. 

Jacqueline Solomon put down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, but the ball was mishandled by the Wildcats, re-loading the bases for the Athenas. Novogradac then put down her second squeeze bunt of the day, which was perfectly placed down the third-base line for a single, giving the Athenas the lead. Sophia Nguyen then had an RBI groundout and Emma Suh hit a sacrifice fly to close out the CMS scoring. 

In the opening game, Ari Livi was 2-for-3, Suh and Destiny Garcia each were 2-for-4, and Abby Thompson had two RBI, but Linfield was able to jump out to a 4-1 lead and hold off the Athenas. Hannah Adams allowed one earned run in two innings of relief, and Alexis Gero threw a shutout inning in the seventh. 

CMS will be back in action on Friday when it hosts St. Katherine and William Jessup at Athena Field.