Sundberg shines in opening weekend
Central Michigan softball head coach Margo Jonker wanted to find out what players were “game players” during this weekend's first six games, and she got her first glimpse.
Several CMU softball players stood out and chipped in to going 3-3 in Jacksonville, Fla., but maybe none bigger was freshman pitcher Chelsea Sundberg.
In her first appearance on Saturday, Sundberg threw a shutout, only allowing three base runners on three hits giving CMU its first win of the season. Jonker thinks of Sundberg as one of her game players.
“I think she’ll be one,” Jonker said. “I thought she would be one.”
On Sunday, Sundberg came in relief and earned her second win by pitching six innings and giving up three earned runs. She struck out 11 players in the two outings, but none more important than the final out of a 8-7 extra inning thriller Sunday.
Fellow freshman Cory DeLamielleure impressed Jonker as well.
“Cory has done a nice job behind the plate,” Jonker said.
DeLamielleure caught in four of the six games so far, in the other two she pinch hit and played shortstop as well. DeLamielleure collected two hits and two walks on offense.
Experienced players also came to play such as senior Kari Seddon had a big weekend. Seddon went 7-16 at the plate driving in two runs and scoring another. She also pitched 10.1 innings allowing four earned runs and striking out 12 batters.
Sophomore Brogan Darwin helped CMU’s offense with four hits and two runs scored. Darwin might have had the biggest hit of the weekend with a three-run bomb against Florida A&M.
Another thing Jonker was happy with was her team's ability to manufacture runs.
“We’ve done a good job of executing the sac bunt this weekend,” Jonker said.
The Chippewas were able to successfully lay down eight sacrifice bunts to advance runners in the six games. None bigger than senior Amanda Patrick’s extra inning bunt, it moved over a key run in Sunday’s 8-7 win.
After only scoring one run in the first two games on Friday, Jonker wanted to see a better offense.
“We need more key hits,” Jonker said. “We had opportunities just left runners on. (We) stranded too many runners.”
By Sunday, the offense woke up scoring 11 runs in two games, and sweeping the series with Florida A&M.
