Hoosier Classic finale rained out
Two strong pitching performances allowed Central Michigan softball to go 2-2 in the Hoosier Classic over the weekend in Bloomington, Ind.
Senior Kari Seddon (4-4) pitched her fifth complete game Friday, earning a 5-1 win against Loyola. Fellow senior Amanda Patrick stepped up with a home run to help the Chippewa scoring.
“(Seddon) is a great competitor,” said CMU coach Margo Jonker. “She is a great person, we’re fortunate to have her in the program. She always gives her best.”
Those aren’t the only two seniors that Jonker has been pleased with this season.
“Amanda Klosterman has stepped up her game tremendously,” Jonker said before the Hoosier Classic. “I’m so proud of her and how her game has matured and how she has matured since last year.”
CMU lost the second game Friday to Indiana 1-0. Hoosiers senior left-handed pitcher Morgan Melloh threw a complete-game shut out.
“The pitching was faster than we’ve seen,” Jonker said following the game. “A lefty pitching with more speed, and more movement.”
The Chippewas bounced back Saturday, beating Wright State 5-2 with the help of another Patrick home run. The two-run shot was capped off a five-run in the last three innings of the game to come back and win.
Wright State still out-hit CMU 5-3 on the day. The Chippewas took advantage of 12 walks and made two of their hits score four runs.
“The pitching was slow - we had to wait for it,” Jonker said. “They walked a lot of people, and we left a lot of people on base.”
Freshman Chelsea Sundberg (4-1) struck out four Wright State batters and gave up five hits. Sundberg is third on the team in strikeouts (32), innings pitched (32.1) and fourth with opponent batting average at .246.
CMU (13-9) lost the second game to Michigan State 3-0 after a pair of Spartan solo homers.
Rain washed away Sunday’s scheduled game to finish CMU’s tournament play against Indiana. The Chippewas will change their focus to playing a doubleheader Tuesday against Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons (10-6-1) in Fort Wayne, Ind.
“We would’ve liked to play Indiana twice,” Jonker said. “Would have been able to get more at-bats and been more ready for conference play.”
The Sunday matchup would have pitted a rematch of the 1-0 pitchers’ duel between Melloh and Dornbos from Friday that Jonker wanted.
“Looking forward to facing her again,” Jonker said after Friday’s game.
The Mastodons will likely pitch Courtney Cronin (7-5) and Rachel Staschuk (2-1) Tuesday. Both pitchers boast an earned run average under three runs per game.
The Chippewas' top two pitchers have been Seddon and sophomore Dornbos (4-4), who both have sub-two ERAs. Sundberg could also see time in the circle with her 3.03 ERA and 4-1 record.
“It’s another opportunity to sharpen our skills before conference play,” Jonker said.
