Softball wins three of four on road trip
The Chippewas talk strategy on the mound March 28 against Ball Sate at Margo Jonker Stadium.
With a 4-3 loss at the hands of the University of Akron Zips, Central Michigan University's softball team saw its winning streak end at five games Sunday.
CMU’s record drops to 13-16 overall and they currently sit at .500 in Mid-American Conference play with a 3-3 record.
“We made some key mistakes defensively on some balls that we should’ve been able to make the plays on,” said Head Coach Margo Jonker. “We did hit more than yesterday, so that was a positive.”
One day after pitching a complete-game shutout, senior Rachael Knapp was in the circle once again but, even with the backing of some offense, was handed the loss.
In the loss to the Zips, Knapp went three innings, giving up two earned runs while walking one and striking out four batters.
“(Akron) made adjustments to what our pitchers were throwing,” Jonker said. “You pitch to what the umpire’s strike zone is, too, so it was a combination of both.”
The two teams traded runs in the first inning before Akron claimed a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second.
CMU tied the ballgame 3-3 in the top half of the fourth inning on a solo homerun by junior second baseman Chelsea DeLamielleur, and a double to right field by freshman third baseman Maison Kalina.
DeLamielleur and Kalina both went 1-for-3 in the loss. Junior first baseman Katelyn Rentschler continued to swing, going 2-for-3 in the cleanup spot for CMU. She was the only Chippewa to record more than a single hit in the afternoon.
“This weekend, (Rentschler) definitely was the hottest hitter in our lineup,” Jonker said. “She had a really good weekend offensively and she’s really turned the corner with every part of her game so I’m happy for her.”
As a team, the Chippewas went 1-for-9 with runners on base and also went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Jonker’s team will play at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday in a double header against the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies at the Oakland Softball Field.
Saturday
Knapp continued her strong season in the circle as she led CMU to a 1-0 victory against Akron on Saturday.
Going the distance to earn the win, Knapp struck out 10 batters, walking only one.
Despite Knapp's solid complete-game outing, Jonker said it was not her best of the season.
“Rachael had a great performance today,” Jonker said. "When she came in relief against Detroit, that was probably the best she's thrown all year. But today she did a really good job."
Knapp was able to earn the win, throwing 108 pitches.
After compiling 23 total hits in two games against the Ohio University Bobcats on Friday afternoon, the Chippewas offense was able to muster up a single hit Saturday.
One run in the top of the first inning was all CMU would need to secure a victory against the Zips.
Freshman left fielder Lacy Tolfree scored the lone run for the Chippewas after reaching base on a walk in the top of the sixth inning.
Tolfree proceeded to steal her 16th base of the season, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Rentschler.
"Akron's pitcher was on today and Rachael was on today. "Both pitchers did a great job," Jonker said. "It was a great defensive game today compared to a great offensive day yesterday. That's fast-pitch softball—things change."
Tolfree supplied the lone hit of the afternoon for CMU on a two-out double down the left-field line.
Friday
On Friday afternoon the Chippewas swept away the Ohio University Bobcats in a double header on the road by scores of 8-1 and 14-3, respectively.
CMU got off to a quick start offensively against OU, scoring four runs off of three home runs in the top of the first inning. Supplying the power were senior shortstop Trista Cox and DeLamielleure.
Maison Kalina also homered in the sixth inning of game one.
“We try to score early, score first and score more often in every game," Jonker said.
"That's the mentality that we take into the game. Obviously, we've been very successful in doing that the past four games, and we need to continue doing that."
Knapp went all seven innings, striking out six while giving up three hits in the game one defeat of OU.
In the nightcap of the double header, CMU’s offense continued to be too much for the Bobcats to handle, as the women cruised to another win over their Mid-American Conference opponent.
The Chippewa’s offense was spearheaded by the efforts of Rentschler, who set a school record by hitting three home runs in game two.
She hit a solo home run in the second inning, a two-run homer in the third and followed that up by hitting a three-run shot in the fourth.
When it was all said and done Rentschler contributed with six RBIs in the victory.
"Rentschler was on a tear today," Jonker said. "Three homer runs in one game is special for her and for us. I think that the best part is that everybody was seeing the ball well at the plate. It was fun for all of the players and the coaches."
In total Jonker’s team tallied 23 hits in their road sweep of the Bobcats.
"The offense for us gets most of the credit today. The pitching did what it had to do to get the job done,” Jonker said. “We try to make sure our opponents don't score more than three runs a game, and we were successful in accomplishing that."
