CMU softball sweeps doubleheader with Valparaiso in first home games of season


The home crowd at Margo Yonker Stadium left happy on Tuesday as the Central Michigan softball team won both games of its doubleheader against Valparaiso in the team's first home appearance of the season.

The Chippewas (13-12) won game one by mercy rule, 10-1, as the contest was called off after five innings.

After going down 3-1 to start game two, CMU responded to score the next four runs and took the win 5-3 behind senior shortstop CarolAnn Sexauer’s two home-runs, to sweep the doubleheader.           

“We’re at home and we won two games. That is the most important thing,” said Head Coach Margo Jonker. “We had a lot of people really come through and I thought that they were team wins. Different people came through in different situations for us to get the victory today.”

Game one

CMU started off with two runs in the first inning, after a lead off triple by sophomore left fielder Lacy Tolfree and RBI singles by freshman right fielder Allison Curtis and senior first baseman Katelyn Rentschler.

Tolfree had an RBI of her own in the second inning to increase the lead to 3-0. She batted 4-for-4 in the game and finished with two RBI’s. In the third inning, the Chippewas batted through the entire lineup and scored four runs on five hits, capped off by a two-run home run by freshman infielder Rachel Viera — her first of the season. 

Central Michigan had 12 hits through the first three innings and were up 7-0.

Junior starting pitcher Rachel Knapp did her best to help out her offense, striking out eight batters in the first three innings. Knapp went the entire game, surrendering one run on four hits. 

Knapp (7-5) says her work in the offseason has paid off so far.

“I focused more on my pitches, working on making them spin better, working on my speed and mechanics,” Knapp said. “I had my offense behind me (today) and that was amazing and gave me a lot more confidence.”

CMU added three more runs on three singles and two walks in the fourth inning, to extend the lead to 10-1.

The Crusaders had one last chance in the fifth inning to cut the lead down and extend the game, but went down in order to end the contest by mercy rule.

Game two

Unlike game one, it was the Crusaders who jumped out to the lead in game two, scoring three runs in the first two innings.

When the Chippewas needed a spark, it was Sexauer who stepped up. Sexauer — who missed most of 2015 to injury — hit a home run in the first inning to tie the score 1-1 and tied the score again in the third inning with an RBI double.

After a Viera single in the fourth inning, the Chippewas had their first lead of the game, 4-3. In the fifth inning, Sexauer stepped to the plate for a third time and hit another home run over the center field wall, to give the team a 5-3 lead.  

“It feels good to be back and out there. I love playing on our home field and it was fun,” Sexauer said. “I wasn’t really thinking much. I just watched the ball and I hit it and that was kind of my attack plan.”

Sophomore starting pitcher Hanna Warren pitched four innings and allowed three runs on five hits. After starting the fifth inning with a lead off walk, sophomore Laura Vaccaro took her place and got out of the inning with two ground outs and a strikeout to keep the lead at 5-3.

After a scoreless sixth inning, Vaccaro returned for the seventh inning and retired three straight batters after a lead off double and gave Central Michigan the victory and doubleheader sweep over Valparaiso.

“We need all of our pitchers to come through,” Jonker said.  “We can’t rely on one pitcher this year so I think it’s important that all of our pitchers contribute and all three contributed today.”   

What’s next

The Central Michigan softball team will head to Kent, Ohio to start Mid-American Conference play against the Golden Flashes on Friday and Saturday. Jonker says today’s sweep was crucial going into the match up.

“We wanted to go in on a winning note,” Jonker said. “I think it’s important for us to go into Kent State (with a win) because Kent State is hot right now and hopefully we can go in there and shut them down."

Friday’s game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m., while Saturday’s doubleheader will start at 1 p.m. 

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