Softball sweeps rival Western Michigan in doubleheader, keeps pace in MAC West
Junior outfielder Lacy Tolfree swings to hit the ball on April 2 during the game against Kent State at Margo Jonker Stadium.
After a couple of rain delays before the start of the first game, the Central Michigan softball team was eventually able to play a doubleheader against Western Michigan this afternoon in Kalamazoo.
When the rain lightened up, CMU came back with heavy showers of offense.
The Chippewas used a little bit of offense and pitching to earn the sweep of their rival on Tuesday afternoon, winning game one 9-0 in five innings and game two 1-0.
CMU hit three home runs to lead their offense charge of 10 total runs for the day.
Senior pitcher Rachael Knapp and junior pitcher Hanna Warren combined to allow zero runs, nine hits, and six strikeouts in both games to hold down the WMU hitters.
Head coach Margo Jonker said that the results the team got today didn't come easy
“Western (Michigan) is a very good team, I know their record may not reflect that, but they looked really good at times earlier this season,” Jonker said. “We are very fortunate to get a couple of wins today, Rachael (Knapp) and Hanna (Warren) did a great job holding their offense down.”
The Chippewas (21-10 overall, 6-2 Mid-American Conference) remain in second place behind Ball State, who swept Northern Illinois in a double-header on Tuesday. CMU is now alone is second place in the MAC West.
In the first game, CMU attacked the Broncos early and it was too much for WMU to overcome.
After a scoreless first inning, the Chippewa bats woke up in the top of the second inning, and the WMU’s never did.
A couple of hits led off the inning, senior catcher Danielle Marlink started the scoring with a single back up the middle to get the first run batted in of the game. That was followed up with another RBI single from sophomore center fielder Allison Curtis, giving CMU the 2-0 advantage.
It was then junior catcher Maison Kalina who hit singled to deep center, scoring two runs, which gave the Chippewas some breathing room with a 4-0 lead.
They didn't let off the gas pedal.
Sophomore first baseman Erika Underwood hit a bloop single, scoring another run, before the flood gates officially opened.
Utility infielder Rachel Vieira hit a 3-run home run, her third big fly of the season, to give the Chippewas a comfortable 8-0 lead.
CMU tacked on one more run in the third inning, and the game was called after 5 innings of play with the mercy rule in effect.
Knapp continued her dominance, pitching all five innings while allowing just one hit and struck out four batters. Knapp picked up her 12th win and has a 1.52 earned run average on the season.
In game two, it was the pitching that took over for both teams in a tightly contested game until the finish.
It was sophomore pitcher Jordan Kurth for WMU and junior pitcher Hanna Warren for the Chippewas in the circle, and they battled back and fourth all game long, allowing a low amount of hits.
CMU struck first in the second inning thanks to a bomb from Underwood that carried out over the left field wall, giving CMU the 1-0 advantage.
It turned out to be all the Chippewas would need to get the victory, thanks to the performance of Warren.
Warren went 6.2 innings, when the Broncos showed a final sign of life, getting runners on the corners with two outs.
Jonker elected to go with Knapp to get the last out, and it turned out to be the right decision, as she got a harmless pop out to finish the game.
Warren improved to 7-4 on the season, striking out two batters and only allowing six hits for the game. Knapp got her second save of the season by getting the final out.
Jonker said it was her decision to make the change late in the game.
“I made the decision because it just seemed like a better matchup and obviously we didn't have a lot of room for error,” Jonker said. “Hanna gave us everything she had, and it was just the a better match up to me to have Knapp finish the game with the timing of the at-bat.”
CMU will stay on the road for their next contest against Akron. The game will be on Friday at 3 p.m. from Lee R. Jackson field.
“Akron is a completely different team that who we played against today here in Western Michigan,” Jonker said. “They play with a lot of speed in all different kind of areas, so we need to come to the field ready for a fight.”
