Softball is eliminated by Valpo 7-4 in NCAA regionals


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Sophomore infielder Trista Cox tags out a member of the opposing team during The Chippewas game against Valparaiso Saturday afternoon, May 18, 2013 at Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex: Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Mich. Cox went four-for-four with a home run and three RBI.

Leaving runners on base, walks and errors will come back to haunt you in softball.

Central Michigan felt the wrath of all three on Saturday as it fell to Valparaiso 7-4 to end the season in the NCAA tournament.

"Our defense let us down today and I believe you win championships behind defense," said head coach Margo Jonker. "We had a lot of opportunities with runners in scoring position in the game and didn't come through with the big hits."

First, the Chippewas felt the effect of the walk.

Senior pitcher Kara Dornbos gave up three walks in her complete game, two of which came around to score.

The first one to score was in the first inning, after a walk and single put runners on first and second Dornbos forced a grounder and instead of a double play, the Crusaders forced a rundown and was able to sneak a run in and escape with no outs.

"We weren't really aware of what the lead runner was doing until late," Jonker said. "We were not sharp on that defensively."

Defensively, walks and errors will hurt you.

Offensively, it's runners being left on base that will get you. Especially if those runners are in scoring position.

CMU left nine runners on base in the game, seven of which were on second or third base.

That was clear in the fourth inning as the Chippewas tried to respond to three Valpo runs.

Junior catcher Cory DeLamielleure started the inning with a home run to left to make the score 4-1 and was followed by sophomore third baseman Trista Cox who hit a double off the wall in center field.

They would get runners on second and third base with no outs, but fail to plate anymore then DeLamielleure in the inning.

"I think if we would have got the runners in it would have been a whole different game," Jonker said. "It would put some pressure on the other team, but, we didn't."

It wasn't all bad for CMU.

Cox took advantage with her plate appearances going four-for-four with three RBIs. She hit a home run to left field that bounced off the indoor track complex behind the wall and then hit a two-run double to center in the seventh inning.

"We talked a lot about how their pitcher throws," Cox said. "Just seeing the ball and listening to everyone else really helped a lot."

But, it wasn't enough as the Chippewas lost 7-4 to end the season.

"We were happy to win the Mid-American Conference and represent conference," Jonker said. "Disappointed that we didn't play well"

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