Softball advances in MAC tournament with 9-5 win against Ohio
The Central Michigan softball team scored four runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth to defeat Ohio 9-5 Wednesday in the first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.
CMU (27-17) advances in the winners bracket to play No. 1 seed Kent State at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The Golden Flashes beat No. 8 Bowling Green 8-0 on Wednesday.
The Chippewas are winless on the season against KSU, having lost both games of a doubleheader on May 1 in Kent, Ohio.
OU broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run and CMU fielding error to take a two-run lead before the Chippewas would make their run.
Redshirt freshman Brogan Darwin began the CMU rally by launching her first career grand slam in the fifth inning to give the Chippewas a 5-3 lead.
CMU got a pair of two-out two-run hits by its seniors in the sixth as insurance. A double by Christina Novak (run scored) and single by Katie Greenman (2-for-4) proved to be enough to hold off the Bobcats, who scored two in the seventh.
Junior right-hander Kari Seddon earned her 16th win of the season, giving up five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Freshman Kara Dornbos pitched a perfect 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Senior Jill Schulz went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
First baseman Emily Wethington went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and left fielder Page Kemezis was 2-for-2 with an RBI for Ohio (19-31), which advances to the losers bracket to play BGSU at 11 a.m. Thursday.
