Softball team gets blown out by Michigan
Kara Dornbos was in control Tuesday against No. 24 Michigan — then the sixth inning happened.
Dornbos, a junior pitcher for the Central Michigan softball team, faced 18 batters in the first five innings. It took three CMU pitchers to get through a 15-batter sixth inning. Michigan scored nine runs that inning en route to a 10-2 win at Margo Jonker Stadium.
“Very frustrating; I’m very frustrated right now,” head coach Margo Jonker said. “We couldn’t get an out. We gave them outs, which is frustrating.”
Dornbos (9-11) threw six strikeouts and walked none. She gave up five runs in the sixth before she was relieved by sophomore pitcher Chelsea Sundberg in the fifth.
Michigan (31-11) sophomore left fielder Nicole Sappingfield went 3-for-4 with a RBI. She hit 2-for-2 in the sixth inning.
“I thought Dornbos pitched extremely well,” Jonker said. “She held them off base.”
CMU struck first when senior Molly Coldren hit her eighth home run of the season. She went 3-for-3 in the game.
Jonker did not allow player interviews after the game.
Freshman pitcher Sara Driesenga started for Michigan. She threw three innings and gave up one run on five hits. She struck out two.
Freshman pitcher Haylie Wagner relieved Driesenga at the top of the fourth. She pitched almost identical to Driesenga, throwing the final three innings and gave up one run on five hits. She struck out four.
Wagner earned the win for the Wolverines. Dornbos took the loss.
Jonker said Dornbos didn’t get tired in the sixth. She said jokingly that Dornbos could’ve pitched for “hours, days even.”
“The issue was that by then, (Michigan) had seen her,” Jonker said, referring to how Michigan picked up on Dornbos’ tendencies.
