Kara Dornbos pitches twice as CMU softball splits doubleheader against Ball State
Sophomore pitcher Kara Dornbos threw 211 pitches and started both games Sunday as CMU softball split with Ball State at Margo Jonker Stadium.
The Chippewas took three of four games on the weekend, Dornbos earning two wins, putting themselves in second place in the Mid-American Conference standings. CMU won the first game against Ball State 9-5 and lost the second 5-2.
Dornbos pitched both games because of her high ground ball-to-fly ball ratio. Strong winds made simple fly balls doubles and hard hits home runs which helped score four CMU runs in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader.
“Dornbos was shutting them down after the first inning,” said CMU head coach Margo Jonker. “She’s the type of pitcher you want out there. I didn’t want balls to be hit into the wind.”
The wind aided Ball State too, who had two home runs that went out with the wind to right field in each game from junior Amanda Montalto. The homers scored six Cardinal runs.
Ball State made a statement in the top of the first inning by hitting two singles, a three-run home run and a double consecutively to start the game. The three runs, all off Montalto’s homer, on four hits was a hole the Chippewas quickly erased.
In their first at-bat, they capitalized on two walks and an error followed by a Molly Coldren double that scored all three runners, tying the game. The double was a very high pop down the left field line that the high-20 mph winds blew just far enough right that the left fielder over ran it.
“It’s normally a foul ball,” Jonker said. “We were fortunate. Because of the wind you never give up until the ball is on the ground or in the glove.”
Another three-run double in the third put CMU up 6-3 when senior Amanda Klosterman hit a line drive into right center. She cleared the bases full of freshman Raechel Zahrn and seniors Amanda Patrick and Kari Seddon.
CMU’s bats stayed hot as Patrick laced a one-hopper to second that got through and scored sophomore Summer Knoop and freshman Brittney Horan, pushing the lead to 8-3.
Dornbos (9-6) settled in nicely after a rocky start in which she allowed four hits to the first four batters. She only allowed six the rest of the game.
“It was tough — a lot of the balls move (in the wind),” Dornbos said. “(I) try to work low, especially in this wind.”
For a couple of hours after Game 1 and before Game 2 finished the Chippewas were in a first-place tie in the MAC West with Northern Illinois. After Ball State won Game 2 they jumped back into second place behind NIU.
Game 2 had more of the same as Montalto started things off with a two-run homer, only this time the Chippewas didn’t come back.
CMU only mustered up two runs on Audra Sanders, who earned her 14th win of the season.
The wind hurt CMU in the bottom of the second as Horan hit a shot to left that appeared to have a chance but the wind, blowing to right field, knocked it down. Two runners were on, including Coldren who thought there were two outs or it wouldn’t get caught and didn’t tag up at third, ending the inning.
The Chippewas started the weekend off right by sweeping Miami (19-17, 4-6) on Friday. CMU had 16 hits, eight from Horan and senior Brittini Merchant. Dornbos won the first game allowing one earned run in the 5-3 victory.
“(We) went 3-1 this week that’s a good job against two of the top teams in the conference,” Jonker said.
CMU (23-14, 8-4) will make up a doubleheader at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (23-10-1) Tuesday starting at 2 p.m.
