By Ryan Miller '14

Claremont, Calif. - After taking over second place in SCIAC, the Women's Softball team fell back to third today, defeated in both games of a doubleheader with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Sagehens led in the first game until CMS came back to tie the score and eventually hit a two run walk-off home run to win 6-5. The CMS Athenas broke away early in the second game en route to a 6-1 win.

CMS struck first in game one of the doubleheader in the first inning. Fiona Riley (Berkeley, CA) walked two batters and gave up an RBI single but came back with a swinging strikeout to end the inning.

After being held hitless through the first two innings, the Sagehens exploded in the third for four runs. Meagan Tokunaga (Albany, CA) led off the frame with a single through the left side and quickly advanced on a bunt by Jessica Liu (Alamo, CA). Liu used her speed to beat out the throw to first, putting runners on first and second with one out. After a fly out, Ari Roach (Pinole, CA) lined a two out double into the gap in left center to score Tokunaga and Liu.

Now leading 2-1, the Sagehens kept the two out rally going as Emily Glass (Davis, CA) sent a fly ball to the wall for a triple that scored Roach. Bri Marcantoni (Chino Hills, CA), hard hitting of late, sent a line drive into the outfield to score Glass and give the Sagehens a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the third.

The Athenas struck back in the fourth to trim the lead to 4-3. After a leadoff double, ground ball single, and stolen base, they had runners on second and third with no outs. Playing small ball, the Athenas called suicide squeeze bunts on the next two at bats. The first resulted in an out at first, and Riley attempted a flick to Glass at home but the tag was just late.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Athenas once again managed three straight singles to get a fourth run and tie the game sending it into the seventh. With one out in the top of the seventh, Kathryn Rabak (Grass Valley, CA - pictured) hit a deep line drive over the left field wall to put the Sagehens ahead 5-4. The Athenas answered right back in the bottom of the seventh to win the game on a walk-off. After a leadoff double, senior Rebecca King hit a deep fly ball over the fence in left to win 6-5.

Roach finished the game 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI to lead the team in hitting.

Riley wasn't quite as sharp in the nightcap of the doubleheader, giving up eight hits in two and a third innings of work. Liu was effective in relief, giving up two runs on six hits in three and two thirds innings. Unfortunately for the Sagehens, they couldn't quite get the bats going, only managing one run on eight hits. Becca Gularte was dominant on the mound for the Athenas, pitching six and two thirds innings in the winning effort.

Now posting an 8-4 record in SCIAC, the Sagehens will look to rebound next Friday in a doubleheader against Occidental.

Rebecca King hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Softball team a 6-5 win over Pomona-Pitzer in the first of two on Friday.

CMS also took the second game 6-1, as it improves to 9-3 in the SCIAC, taking over second place from the Sagehens, who fall to 8-4 in league play (15-12 overall) at the midway point of the league schedule.

Junior Kathryn Rabak (Grass Valley, Calif. - pictured) gave Pomona-Pitzer a 5-4 lead in the opening game with a solo homer with two outs in the top of the seventh.

Rabak had produced a pair of walk-off hits at home in the middle of Pomona-Pitzer's recent eight-game winning streak, which included five wins in their final at-bat (four walk-off wins at home). But this time, as the road team, the Sagehens had to play defense in the bottom half of the seventh, and with a runner on second, King was able to put one over the fence with a runner on second to give CMS the win.

Pomona-Pitzer scored four times in the third to take a 4-1 lead as Ari Roach (Pinole, Calif.) hit a two-run double, Emily Glass (Davis, Calif.) hit an RBI triple, and Bri Marcantoni (Chino Hills, Calif.) had an RBI single. CMS scored twice in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of squeeze plays to pull within 4-3 and then tied the game in the sixth to set up the dramatic seventh.

The second game was less dramatic as Pomona-Pitzer managed just one run on an RBI single from Roach, before CMS was able to pull away.

Full details to follow later.