Softball drops doubleheader against Bowling Green


The Central Michigan softball team couldn’t get its bats going Friday, dropping both games of a doubleheader against Bowling Green at Meserve Field.

CMU was without junior pitcher Rachael Knapp today, who leads the team in wins, earned run average and strikeouts. Without Knapp, sophomore Hanna Warren was given a heavy workload.

Warren started both games and finished the day pitching 10 2/3 innings.

“I was really proud of (Warren)," said Head Coach Margo Jonker. "I thought she was mentally tough and I was really proud of the way she handled everything."

Bowling Green won game one 4-2.

BGSU senior pitcher Braiden Dillow picked up her fourth win of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits in a complete game effort. Dillow also had a productive day at the plate with a two-run double in the third inning to double the Falcons’ lead.

Sophomore Chelsea Raker picked up a pair of RBIs for the Falcons when she hit a two-run home run in the first inning, her fifth this season.

CMU didn't score until the seventh inning when freshman Andrea Perlberg scored on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Lacy Tolfree. Freshman Rachel Vieira added CMU’s final run on a wild pitch.

“We weren’t able to barrel up the ball. We weren’t getting good cuts and we were struggling all the different pitches that were coming in,” Jonker said. “The biggest thing is that we’re not getting the key hits.”

In game two, freshman pitcher Kiley Sosby held the Chippewas to one run on three hits over seven innings. Sosby also had six strikeouts.

“She was a pitcher we hadn’t seen before and we had a hard time adjusting to her pitches. We didn’t make the adjustments we needed to make,” Jonker said.

CMU tied the game in the sixth inning when Perlberg scored on a throwing error, but did not score again.

Sophomore Laura Vaccaro gave up four runs on three hits in the fifth inning, allowing BGSU to regain the lead and earn its second win of the day against the Chippewas.

After being swept in today’s doubleheader, CMU sits at 15-20-1 (2-7-1 MAC) in last place in the West Division.

“We need to be able to do all the little things right and make the key plays, which is what we’re lacking right now,” Jonker said.

The two teams finish the three-game series tomorrow at Meserve field with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

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