Lack of offense leads to weekend sweep of softball team
Sophomore pitcher Rachael Knapp winds up to throw to a Ball State batter March 28 at Margo Jonker Stadium.
The CMU softball team was the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference West Division. But after three games, the Chippewas are without a win in conference play.
Central Michigan (13-15, 0-3 MAC) traveled to Kent State (20-7, 3-0 MAC) over the weekend and was swept in the weekend series at the Diamond at Dix. The team managed three runs the whole series — all in game one.
Coming into the series, Head Coach Margo Jonker stressed that her team needed to "shut down" the Golden Flashes if it wanted to win.
In the first game on Friday, the Chippewas trailed 4-0 in the fourth inning, but back-to-back home runs by senior shortstop CarolAnn Sexauer and senior second baseman Chelsea DeLamielleure cut the lead to 4-3.
In the fifth inning, KSU’s Holly Spears extended the lead with her second home run of the game. Two batters later, Bailey Brownfield homered to go up 7-3, which would be the game’s final score.
Junior starting pitcher Rachael Knapp was replaced by sophomore Laura Vaccaro after that, who pitched two scoreless innings and allowed no runners on base.
Knapp (7-7) pitched again in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. The results were similar, as she gave up three earned runs on three hits and five walks. Vaccaro came in for relief once again and pitched four innings, allowing one run on one hit.
Janel Hayes went all seven innings for Kent State, surrendering no earned runs. While CMU out-hit KSU 5-4, the team left six runners on base and was held scoreless for the fifth time all season, losing 4-0.
Sophomore pitcher Hanna Warren started the second game of the doubleheader for the Chippewas. Warren (4-6) went 4 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and three walks. The game ended in the sixth inning, when Speers hit a three-run home run off Vaccaro to give the Golden Flashes the 9-0 lead and win by mercy rule.
Speers finished the series 4-for-4, with four home runs and nine RBI’s. She also walked six times.
The CMU offense was once again unable to put any runs of the board, as Ronnine Ladines (13-1) struck out seven and picked up her second win of the series. Sophomore left fielder Lacy Tolfree had the only multi-hit game of the series for the Chippewas, batting 2-for-4 in the finale.
Right fielder Allison Curtis, senior first baseman Katelyn Rentschler and Sexauer also added hits.
Central Michigan will look to rebound on Wednesday when it travels to East Lansing to play Michigan State at 4 p.m.
