THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A week after last taking the field, the Cal Lutheran softball team looked to return to the win column in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Hutton Field on a warm Saturday. Unfortunately, a pair of inning-shortened games went to the visiting Athenas, 8-0 in five and 12-4 in six.

Fired up in game one, Courtney Sooy (5-4) dealt from the circle, retiring the first five batters she faced, going on to throw four strong before the Athenas caught up to her. Overall, the junior hurler tossed a complete 5.0 inning game, striking out six, while allowing eight runs on nine hits.

With two outs in the top of the third miscommunication in the infield allowed a run to scurry across the plate on a pop-up for the first crooked number of the day as CMS took a 1-0 lead. The Athenas broke things open in the top of the fifth when CMS batted around, ultimately sending 11 players to the plate. The first five reached on singles and with one down and the bases loaded Briana Halle launched a pinch hit grand slam on the second pitch she saw to give the visiting group an 8-0 advantage. A 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth put the game in the books.

Sooy, Blake Lewis and Makenna Pellerin had the only hits of the first contest for CLU.

Game two started the same way with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps plating seven runs in the first two frames. A leadoff hit, stolen base, single and sacrifice suicide squeeze gave CMS a quick lead and the second inning featured 11 batters, five hits, a CLU error and a walk, that allowed the Athenas the opportunity to build a lead.

In an 8-0 hole, Monique Ramirez notched the first CLU hit of the game in the top of the fourth and she and Andrea Brackpool came in to score on a two-RBI single by B. Lewis. Pinch runner Scarlett Pettine then touched the plate on a Pellerin single up the middle to cut the deficit to 8-3.

CMS stormed back with a pair of runs in each of the next two innings while the only other Cal Lutheran run came on an opposite field homerun by B. Lewis, her fifth of the season, in the bottom of the sixth. Alyssa Anderson threw the last inning, making her SCIAC debut and second overall appearance. Nicole White-Madolora (2-4) worked 5.0 innings, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits with one strikeout.

Overall, B. Lewis went 3-for-4 today with three RBIs and a run and Pellerin was the only other player for the Regals with more than one hit, going 2-for-3. CLU was perfect on the bases with Brackpool, Pettine, Ramirez and Olivia Leyva each swiping one bag.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (6-3-1, 5-1 SCIAC) got wins from Anna Gurr (4-3) and Molly Rubidoux (2-1). Tara Robinson was 5-for-9 on the day with two RBIs and four runs while both Abigail Metsch and Carly Roleder collected four hits and combined for six RBIs and four runs.

Cal Lutheran (7-8, 2-4) returns to the diamond on Saturday, March 5 when the Violet and Gold travel to Chapman for two beginning at noon.

Box Score: CMS 8, CLU 0 (5 innings)
Box Score: CMS 12, CLU 4 (6 innings)
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