On the afternoon of Friday, March 1, Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) baseball fired on all cylinders, securing a 14-1 win against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), setting the tone for the remainder of the highly anticipated Sixth Street Series.
With both teams coming into the weekend with strong records and high expectations, the Sagehens, who previously held a 8-3 record, eventually prevailed in a one-sided slugfest. After CMS swept P-P last season, the Sagehens were looking for revenge. Facing the previously undefeated Stags, who went in with a 7-0 record, Jake Hilton PO ’25 dominated a high-flying CMS offense, conceding only three hits over six innings.
While the Sagehens came out on top with a dominant win, it was the Stags who started out strong in the top of the first. CMS shortstop Tyler Shaw CM ’24 jumped on the first pitch of the game, reaching base on an error. However, Hilton was ready to respond, striking out two and forcing 2023 SCIAC Athlete Of the Year and Third Team All-American Julian Sanders CM ’24 to pop out, ending the inning.
Despite the error, Hilton remained confident in the Sagehens’ defense.
“I just had to let it go,” Hilton said. “It was an unfortunate error on a tough play, but I just tried to focus on what I could control and kept trusting my guys. We have a great group out there and I know they have my back.”
In the bottom of the first, the Sagehens wasted no time opening the scoring, with Greg Pierantoni’s PO ’27 one-out double scoring JC Ng PO ’25, who had earned a walk. Before the CMS escaped the inning, the Sagehens had increased their lead to 3-0, courtesy of a Jack Gold PO ’27 two-run double.
After holding the Stags scoreless in the top of the second, P-P struck again, putting two runners on base before Isaac Kim PO ’24 blasted a pitch well over the left centerfield wall, increasing their lead to 6-0.
The bomb was Kim’s third long ball in three games, but he claimed going yard wasn’t his intent.
“I wasn’t even thinking about hitting a home run,” Kim said. “I was just trying to be selfless and keep the line moving. We’ve got some great hitters down the order and I know that if we can get on base, they will drive us in.”
After jumping out to an early lead, Hilton and the Sagehens were in complete control. Working around two singles –– from Andrew Mazzone CG ’25 and Kieran Sidebotham CM ’24 –– Hilton shut out the Stags in the third and fourth.
He explained how P-P’s early offensive surge helped motivate him throughout his start.
“I love first-inning runs,” Hilton said. “When we score in those early innings, it’s great offensively. It allows me to push my confidence and go out there and throw hard.”
Unfortunately for the Stags, the Sagehens kept on pecking and trouble struck again for CMS in the third inning. P-P continued to produce quality at-bats and get runners on base. Continuing his hot streak –– during which he hit a walkoff against Pacific University –– William Kinney PZ ’26 contributed an RBI single, increasing the score to 7-0; a subsequent Jimmy Legg PO ’26 double grew the lead to 8-0.
Although the Stags struggled to get much going offensively, they showed no signs of giving up. A fantastic defensive effort on a 4-6-3 double play stunned the Sagehens and allowed CMS to escape the inning.
After holding the Sagehens to their first scoreless inning of the day in the fourth, the Stags looked to capitalize on offense. An error by P-P and a single by Adam Dapkewicz CG ’25 put two runners on for CMS in the top of the fifth. A wild pitch later in the inning would send them to second and third with one out. With two runners in scoring position the Stags finally found themselves in a position to threaten Hilton.
However, with the help of a tremendous defensive effort from Kinney, Hilton composed himself, inducing a sacrifice fly and a major strikeout, halting the Stags in their tracks.
The Sagehens would re-establish their rhythm in the bottom of the fifth with a single and two walks to load the bases. After an intense at-bat, Kinney picked up his second RBI of the game by drawing a bases-loaded walk.
However, CMS continued to display their fighting spirit with a gritty effort from relief pitcher Berkeley Harsch HM ’27. After inheriting a tough spot in the fifth inning, Harsch was able to work out of the jam, leaving three runners on base. Facing a similar position in the sixth, Harsch escaped with no further damage after a walk, getting through crucial innings that later helped the Stags’ pitching staff in their doubleheader rematches the next day.
After six innings of one-run ball from Hilton, Eamonn Woods PO ’25 took over in the seventh and cruised the rest of the way.
With a comfortable 9-1 lead going into the eighth inning, the Sagehens lit up the Stags one final time. Kinney started the scoring, adding his third RBI of the night on a single to right field and bringing Ng to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Building on his already hefty list of impressive plays from the evening, Ng took a pitch over the right field wall, immediately ending the game via mercy rule, 14-1.
With this win, the Sagehens improved their record to 9-3. Kim attributed the team’s success to their dedicated training regimine.
“We’ve put in a lot of effort and work this offseason,” Kim said. “We just have to keep working hard and trust that it will help us.”
Hilton, who came into the game with a 3-0 record and a 2.65 ERA, solidified himself as one of the premier pitchers in the SCIAC, ending the game with eight strikeouts. He leads the SCIAC in wins among starting pitchers, with a 4-0 record and a 1.96 ERA. Reflecting after the game, he said he was very happy with both his and the team’s performance in Friday’s game.
“I thought we were able to change the levels really well today,” Hilton said. “We noticed early that they were swinging a lot and we were able to take advantage of throwing the high fastball.”
Head Coach Frank Pericolosi was delighted with the Sagehens’ effort on the afternoon and said he is hoping to continue the trend as the team goes deeper into SCIAC play.
“We just have to keep competing,” Pericolosi said. “We are a very solid ball club; we play good baseball. We have to keep coming out every day, keep fighting and keep playing hard. As a coach, that is all I can ask for.”
On Sunday, March 3, the Stags and Sagehens concluded the Sixth Street Rivalry series with a doubleheader. Powered by another dominant pitching performance from Hannoh Seo PO ’25, the Sagehens prevailed 5-0 in the first game, solidifying their overall series victory for the first time in two years.
However, in the final game of the series, the Stags battled back. Trailing 3-0 in the fifth, CMS put up a four-spot to take a 4-3 lead. With superb relief pitching from Hamilton Finefrock CM ’25 and Lucas Welch CM ’25, the Stags managed to steal the final game of the series.
Looking forward, both the Stags and Sagehens will look to continue their hot starts, with the former traveling to Arizona to compete in the Tucson Invitational before returning to SCIAC play against Cal Lutheran on March 15. As for the Sagehens, after picking up a win against Adrian College on March 4, they will resume SCIAC play against Redlands on Friday, March 8.
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