The Athenas are off to a … walking start after their season opener at Athena Field on Saturday, Feb. 3 ended in a disappointing loss to Hope International University (HIU) as the scoreboard read seven zeros for the home team. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) struggled to defend their scoreless tie past the third inning and ultimately fell to the Royals 4-0.
The defending SCIAC champions did not live up to their prestige. They were immediately off to a rough start in the top of the first after a missed tag that went down as an error for shortstop Destiny Garcia SC ’24 and it didn’t get much easier from there. Still, despite the disappointing result, the Athenas are keeping their heads held high.
CMS starting pitcher Jade Johnson CM ’24 shut out the Royals until the third inning, when HIU put up two runs. The top of the fourth proved just as difficult for Johnson, with a single on the first pitch of the inning and a sacrifice bunt advancing a runner to third. After a meeting on the mound, Hannah Adams CM ’26 took over. HIU scored two more runs in the fourth, bringing the score to 4-0. Despite these extra two runs, Adams helped Johnson escape a jam that could have ended much worse for the Athenas.
“They started getting hits and Hannah definitely came in and saved me a little bit,” Johnson said. “We just need to really work on getting hits as well.”
On offense, CMS was able to run up the pitch count and continued to battle at each plate appearance, striking out only three times for the entirety of the game. However, nearly every ball the Athenas put in play ended up in the mitt of a Royal.
Foul balls and pop outs into shallow field were a common sight during the game, as the Athenas only managed 3 hits from 23 at-bats against HIU pitcher Allie Puente, who threw all seven innings for HIU.
Bouncing back from their rough start, the Athenas defense was able to finish the next three innings with no Royals crossing the plate. Right fielder Paige Zimmerman CM ’25 made a diving catch to end the seventh, giving the Athenas one last chance to mount a comeback. In her third at bat of the day, Madison Gonzalez HM ’25 fired a double to shallow left field, but was stranded on base to end the inning and the game.
Rachel Sapirstein CM ’26, a utility player, played third base for the Athenas on Saturday and singled in the bottom of the third. As a freshman Sapirstein batted .331 and had a .961 fielding percentage. Sapirstein said that despite the loss she’s feeling good about the rest of the season.
“I think it was a pretty good first outing,” Sapirstein said. “I’m excited for the potential of this team.”
Though they couldn’t pull out the win, the Athenas kept the energy high through the whole game. Chants directed at the opposing team’s pitcher of “ball in the dirt, she can make it work,” and “I like it when you pitch it in the dirt, I like it when you make your catcher work” echoed from the CMS dugout in the bottom of every inning.
Adams credited head coach Betsy Hipple as the key to the Athenas’ high-energy play.
“We have a new coach this year and she’s really hyping us up,” Adams said.
Hipple served as head coach of the CMS softball program from 2006-2017 and has returned for the 2023-2024 season. With a new coach and only three seniors, defined and productive leadership will prove key if the Athenas are to have a winning season and advance through the playoffs.
The Athenas found stiff competition in the Royals, who are already looking to repeat their 41-16 campaign from 2023 with five wins under their belt and only one loss. CMS will play Chapman and Redlands next, two more fierce competitors.
“It’s some of the top teams in conference,” Sapirstein said. “So I’m excited for those SCIAC battles early in the season.”
According to Johnson, the Athenas are remaining optimistic about the rest of the season, and are not letting this early loss dampen their spirits.
“Definitely it’s up from here,” Johnson said.
CMS steps up to the plate again in a double header against Chapman and Redlands on Saturday, Feb. 10 at Redlands.
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