LA VERNE, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team built an early 5-0 lead, but Pomona-Pitzer was able to come back and take a 9-7 win over the Stags in an elimination game of the SCIAC Tournament on Saturday at Ben Hines Field. 

The loss drops CMS to 31-12 on the season, and the Stags will next await their postseason fate when the NCAA bids are announced on Monday. CMS was in solid shape going into the day, with a ranking of 20 in the NCAA Power Index. 

Bryce Didrickson had an RBI groundout in the first, with an error adding another run on the play. Rider Gordon and Blaise Heher had RBI singles in the third, and Dillon Martin tacked on an RBI single in the fourth. 

Pomona-Pitzer got three runs back in the fourth, but Rider Gordon came through with a big two-run double in the fifth to make it a 7-3 CMS lead. However, the Sagehens scored three times in the fifth and three more in the seventh to go ahead 9-7. 

CMS loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth after two hit by pitches sandwiched around a walk. Heher led off the ninth with another hit by pitch to bring the tying run to the plate, but was left stranded on second. 

Martin was 3-for-5 and Gordon was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Bryant Smaaladen started and threw two innings, allowing no runs on one hit. 

CMS will hope for positive news from the NCAA selection show on Monday, as the Stags will try to get back to the NCAA Tournament again after reaching the regional finals with two wins a year ago, their first appearance since 1996.