CMC75 Moments: 1999 Softball Clinches SCIAC with Dominant Final-Day Win

As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moment, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.

Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
1999 Softball: CMS 11, Cal Lutheran 0 (SCIAC Clincher)

Everything was pretty easy for the 1999 CMS Softball team during the regular season as it cruised to a 12-0 SCIAC record, with only the final round-robin left, a busy weekend with six games (one against each team) in two days. Suddenly, after two losses on the first day, things weren't so easy, and CMS had very little time to regroup, facing Cal Lutheran in a pivotal game to start the final day. The Athenas, though, came together over those 12 hours and played perhaps their finest game of the year, putting the hammer down with a dominant 11-0 win over the Regals in six innings to clinch the title. 

The Athenas earned the inside track at the SCIAC Championship over the course of the year behind the stellar pitching of junior Kristine Zoch, who became the first All-American in program history the year before in 1998 and repeated in 1999. The Athenas were perfect after the first six league doubleheaders and in control of their destiny at 12-0, three games out of second place. However, the two losses meant that Cal Lutheran, riding a 10-game win streak, had pulled within only game of the Athenas, with the two teams facing off head-to-head to start day two. The championship door for the Regals had unexpectedly opened, as a win over CMS would give them a share of first place with two games still to play. CMS slammed that door shut, though, with a dominant 11-0 win that secured the championship trophy, behind a two-hitter from Zoch, who allowed only two singles and struck out eight. Junior Tiffany Kuraoka was 3-for-4 with four RBI and senior Karen Maoki added three hits and three RBI in a game that ended after six innings due to the mercy rule. 

With the pressure off, CMS won twice more on day two of the round-robin to close out SCIAC play at 16-2, on what turned out to be the final day of the season, as the Athenas did not get the NCAA bid they hoped for (there was no SCIAC automatic bid at the time). But the team's legacy lives on in the record books and the lists of accolades. Zoch set a school record which still stands with a stingy 0.68 ERA, moved up to second-team All-America after earning third-team honors in 1998, and was inducted into the CMS Hall of Fame in 2013. After playing for the Athenas, Zoch also pitched during the summer of 2000 for the U.S. Athletic International Softball Team in Australia and Holland. Plenty of her teammates also were honored, as she was joined on the All-West Region first team by Kuraoka (.357, 18 RBI) and Beth Houchin (.361, 18 RBI), while Michele Auerbach (.302, 22 RBI) was second-team All-West, Maoki (.306, 22 RBI) was third-team All-West, and Alisa TeStruth (.343), Trilby Nelson (8-4, 3.28 ERA, 46 strikeouts) and Briana Wasch (.352, 18 RBI) were All-SCIAC selections.  

Kristine Zoch:

All of our memories of that game are a bit vague, but generally we were really excited about the team, how well we were playing together, and of course very happy to beat Cal Lutheran. VERY HAPPY!! And hopeful to advance beyond the regular season for the first time. 

I remember that we were all stunned and didn't know what happened when we lost those first two games. It was like we were there, but for some reason the magic wasn't. It did feel like we were playing not to lose instead of playing really good ball with amazing teammates. It really felt like magic when we played that year, like true "flow". We had the trust and camaraderie that comes with really knowing each other, trusting our skills, and supporting each other without hesitation.

After we lost the two games in the SCIAC round robin, the magic was back against Cal Lu and it was game time. I remember us talking about the losses and how we were focused on the wrong thing - not losing - instead of playing great ball. We adjusted our thinking and our approach, and suffice to say we came back strong. It was such a good feeling to play that well, made even more heightened because of the two earlier losses. We worked really well together as a team. We talked honestly with each other, and we got to the root of the problem. It was a great feeling to have that understanding with each other, and to then realize that we had the talent and the skill, we just needed to enjoy the game.

I was a quiet leader, but I took every teammate to heart and loved playing with them every minute. I also took every loss to heart. When we lost and I was pitching I felt like I had personally failed my team. But my team never let me take the heat for it, and it was one reason why we played so well. We were connected and supported each other on and off the field, through success and failures alike. Of all of the teams I've played on, the CMS Athenas is one of the most important and meaningful to me.

The curveball was my best pitch and I could move it all over the plate, and I mean move it.  When a new umpire was calling the plate, I'd have to throw it several times in warmups so they could see it. I made the mistake at one of my first games of just warming up with fastballs, and the first curveball I threw the ump literally stood up in shock and didn't make a call. I didn't get the called strike because he was so surprised. When I threw an inside curveball, that freaked everyone out the most. That one looked like it was going to hit the batter and then curved right in for an inside strike. Usually the batter jumped out of the way and I don't blame them.

I threw hard, but not as hard as Beth Houchin or Trilby Nelson, they threw HARD, and it hurt! I usually struck out batters with the curve, or a wicked riseball. That one I could move a few inches to over a foot in height, starting at all heights, straight in or curving all over the place. Over time I gained even more pinpoint accuracy and speed. I started powerlifting and that really changed the game in terms of speed.

I also focused on the mental aspect, and having complete control over each pitch. Nothing, and I mean nothing, impinged on my focus. But the articles back then didn't give nearly enough credit to my catcher, Michelle Auerbach. She was the real brains behind the operation, she called every pitch and after that one time I shrugged her off and got hit hard, I did not question her again!  She was a genius in understanding the batters and the umps. She and I were equal partners.

I also had a back injury that year, we thought it was a muscle pull, but turned out I cracked my L5 vertebrae, because I practiced pitching so much I stress fractured the "wing" part and it only showed up on a bone scan. That taught me a valuable lesson on understanding physical limits, what kind of pain is good vs. bad, and how to achieve good reps/practice without overdoing it.

Ahhh, the glory days! Alisa and I are still playing co-ed recreational softball together out here in Pleasanton (our league is going to start up again in July), and we've been able to entice a few of the younger alumni to come play with us every so often. We still get all excited about the Alumni Softball games!

1999 Softball Roster
Head Coach: Penny Graves
Assistant Coaches: Cheryl Coronado, Ray Eberle, Anthony Verches
Michele Auerbach (So., C, Scripps)
Alisa Carrigan (Fr., C, CMC)
Caroline Crum (Sr., OF, HMC)
Leslie Dozono (Jr., OF, Scripps)
Chavienne Gruber (Jr., OF, Scripps)
Beth Houchin (Jr., P/UT, CMC)
Kristi Hultman (Fr., OF/1B, HMC)
Jennifer Itano (Fr., 2B/SS, CMC)
Tiffany Kuraoka (Jr., 3B, CMC)
Karen Maoki (Sr., SS/C, Scripps)
Trilby Nelson (Fr., P, Scripps)
Jennifer Snyder (Jr., 1B, CMC)
Alisa TeStruth (Sr., OF, CMC)
Briana Wasch (Fr., OF, Scripps)
Kristine Zoch (Jr., P, CMC)