CLAREMONT, Calif. -
Danica Stirling had a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 4-3 win in the resumption of a suspended game from Friday, and the CMS softball team used a 10-run fourth inning for a 12-3 win in a second contest, as the Athenas opened the 2025 season with a pair of wins over Austin College on Saturday.
CMS opens the year 2-0, while Austin continues its tough-luck start to the season at 0-6, after also suffering a one-run loss to Chapman on Thursday.
The Kangaroos nearly won the opening game as darkness descended on Athena Field on Friday afternoon, but
Averi O came through with a clutch two-out RBI triple to plate the tying run to make the score 3-3. The game was suspended at the end of the eighth, and the teams resumed with the international tiebreaker rule on Saturday morning. Adams had two big strikeouts to leave the Austin runner on third, and give CMS a chance to walk it off in the ninth.
Austin nearly worked out of the jam by getting the winning run at the plate on a groundout from
Kaili Aqui, but Aqui stole second and went to third on a throwing error. Stirling then roped a single that hit the foul line behind third base to earn a walkoff RBI hit in her college debut. CMS took a 2-0 lead on Friday when Stirling and
Emma Suh each had RBI singles with two outs, but Austin was able to tie it in the sixth, before Adams came on in relief.
Brooke Goodman was 2-for-3, while Stirling, O, Suh, and
Delanie Stevens were each 2-for-4.
Adams started the second game and threw three shutout innings, leaving with a 2-0 lead after
Madison Gonzalez had an RBI single in the bottom of the third and Aqui scored on a passed ball. Austin tied it 2-2 in the fourth, but the Athenas exploded for a 10-run bottom half.
Lexie Stinson had an RBI groundout and an RBI single during the inning, while Stevens had a two-run single. O and Goodman had RBI walks, and
Mrdah Murali was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
CMS will return to action when it opens SCIAC play with a three-game series at Occidental, including a road game on Friday and a home doubleheader on Saturday.
