Softball with opportunity to take first place in MAC over weekend


The softball team has the opportunity this weekend to take first-place in the Mid-American Conference at Margo Jonker Stadium.

If the team can sweep Ball State on Friday, starting at 1 p.m., and Miami (Ohio) on Saturday and Sunday, it will be in first place overall.

After suffering an extra-innings loss against Toledo last Sunday at home, the team then had to travel to Ann Arbor to face the No. 9 Wolverines. The Chippewas would suffer an 11-0 five-inning loss, in which the team was held to only two hits on the day.

“It’s a totally different game. It’s a new day. You have to come back the next day and win," said head coach Margo Jonker. "We just go on and try to get better in practice."

Looking ahead to Friday’s doubleheader, the Chippewas have the edge over the Cardinals all-time, 66-24. However, the Cardinals took last year’s doubleheader match-up with a combined score of 13-6.

This year, the Cardinals stand in the way of first-place in the MAC West with a record of 13-1 in the MAC, while the Chippewas remain two games back at 11-3.

“We need to do all the little things right," said senior pitcher Kara Dornbos. "We don’t need the big hits; we just need to string hits together. As a pitcher, my job is to place my pitches and go out and do my best."

Following the doubleheader against Ball State, the team will then take on Miami (Ohio), who is in first-place on the MAC East with a conference record of 10-4.

CMU looks to improve on its 62-27 all-time record against the RedHawks, who won last year’s MAC East. After splitting last year’s match-up, the Chippewas need these two wins to take first place in the MAC.

“We need to come out strong this weekend, because we’re playing two of the best teams in the conference," Jonker said. "The key is to win. That's the bottom line."

Before these past two losses, the team was on a seven-game win streak while going 8-2 on its home field.

Dornbos had her own winning streak snapped, but her and the rest of the pitching staff look to lead the team to a 4-0 weekend.

Going into this weekend, the Chippewas have the bottom part of the lineup, adding up hits led by senior outfielder Brogan Darwin, who is hitting .308 in the past ten games.

At the top of the lineup, senior leadoff hitter Macy Merchant leads the team with a .455 batting average and 15 hits in the past 10 games.

The seniors look to gain a spot at the top of the MAC this week as the regular season begins to wind down.

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