Pitching duel ends in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps victory
ORANGE, Calif. – In a game that produced just seven total hits, the Chapman University baseball team fell 2-1 to the visiting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. Senior Jonathan Hernandez was a force on the mound, allowing just one run and striking out 10 batters in eight innings pitched for his second 10-strikeout game this year.
The Stags' junior right hander Justin Hull pitched a no-hitter through five and two thirds innings that was interrupted when Panther sophomore Mack Cheli singled to right center to drive in Chapman's lone run. Hull allowed just three total hits while striking out five to earn his sixth victory this season.
The Stags were the first to get on the board as junior Henri Levenson hit a sac fly to right field, scoring the runner on third to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth.
Hernandez threw a 1-2-3 top of the fifth and allowed just one hit in the top of the sixth to bring the Panthers up to the plate in the bottom half of the inning. Senior Alex Tsuruda led off and drew a walk to get a runner on base, eventually advancing to second on a wild pitch. With no outs and a runner in scoring position, freshman Drew Littwin hit a sacrifice bunt to advance Tsuruda to third. A popup to second base put another out on the board and brought Cheli up to bat. The sophomore tallied Chapman's first hit of the game with a single up the middle to score Tsuruda and tie the game.
Both pitchers threw scoreless seventh and eighth innings to bring the Stags up to the plate in the top of the ninth. After a leadoff walk from Hernandez, sophomore Cody Turner entered to relieve the starter. With a runner on first and third with two outs, Turner threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score, giving CMS a 2-1 lead.
Sophomore Nick Garcia relieved Turner on the mound with two outs, striking out the next batter to send the Panthers up to the plate in the bottom half of the inning.
With one out and no one on, junior Joe Jimenez hit one hard and high to left field, but the Stags' left fielder Sean Emery caught the ball as it was headed over the fence to rob Jimenez of a solo home run and seal the victory for CMS.
Cheli, sophomore Henry Zeisler and junior Aaron Wong were the only Panthers that were able to get a hit off Hull.
Chapman heads out on the road for the next two weeks but returns to Hart Park on Saturday, April 27 to host Pomona-Pitzer in a SCIAC doubleheader at 11 a.m.
by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant
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