Softball splits games at Citrus 2 Tournament
The Central Michigan softball team split two games in two days at the Citrus 2 Tournament.
The Chippewas (7-8) started the weekend by blanking Binghamton 3-0, but were shutout the next day in just five innings in a 8-0 final by South Dakota State.
It’ll be a quick turnaround for CMU when it resumes play at 4:15 p.m. on March 9 in the USF Under Amour Showcase. The Chippewas were also a part of the USF Under Amour Invitational where they went 2-3 over three days.
Shutdown pitching
Freshman Cloe Mallory and junior Laura Vaccaro combined to pitch a five-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory over Binghamton on March 6 in Clearwater, FL.
Mallory (2-2) earned the win by allowing four hits, two walks and two strikeouts over 3.1 innings. The final 3.2 innings were tossed by Vaccaro who surrendered just one hit and two walks while earning her first save.
CMU scored in the second inning when freshman third baseman Aliena Magiera doubled up the gap to score junior outfielder Allison Curtis from second base to take a 1-0 lead.
A pair of insurance runs were added in the seventh inning when junior infielder Rachel Vieira and senior pinch runner Courtney Streich scored on an error.
The win over Binghamton (3-6) was the Chippewas second consecutive win.
Mercy rule
The following day, the Chippewas were shutout by South Dakota State 8-0 in the finale of the two-game set.
The Jackrabbits scored early and often as they put three runs on the board in the first inning. The door got blown wide open in the fourth inning when SDSU cleared the bases on a triple to score three more runs.
Senior pitcher Hanna Warren (2-4) was charged with the loss after pitching 4.1 innings and earning all eight runs.
