CMU softball defeats Ball State with two walk-off wins
Utility player Caitlyn Britton celebrates with her teamates after hitting a game tying home run on Friday, March 25 at Margo Jonker Stadium.
GENERAL: The Central Michigan softball team won both of their games in a doubleheader against the Ball State Cardinals on Friday, March 25 at Margo Jonker Stadium. These wins take the Chippewas overall record to 13-12 on the season.
Diving catches, homeruns, extra innings and two wins in walk-off fashion described Central Michigan's thrilling home-opening doubleheader Friday against Ball Sate.
Game One
The Chippewas came ready to play in their home opening three game series against Mid-American Conference opponent Ball State with a 4-3-win walk-off style in the seventh inning.
Michaleigh Vallimont stepped up to the plate for the Chippewas and managed to reach with a single that went through the shortstops legs to get her on first base. Coberley would reach on a bunt and advance to second on a bad throw with Vallimont moving to 3rd. Caitlyn Britton would take the plate with runners in scoring position and end the game with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Vallimont and end the game with a 4-3 win for the Chippewas
"For us we built our non-conference schedule to be battle tested and this is where it's paying off and we have been in these opportunities before and we have seen success and we haven't seen success, said head coach McCall Salmon. "These girls weren't going to quit and having the advantage of being home and the bats in our hand to end was key and we knew offensively we had a great game plan going in and they continued to execute that no matter who they threw at us."
Grace Lehto took the mound for the Chippewas, dominating in the circle with nine strikeouts. She went seven innings only allowing five hits and three runs late in the game.
The Chippewas opened the scoring early with leadoff hitter Abbey Tolmie reaching with an infield single and Shannon Stein reaching via hit by pitch. Skyler Coberley would step up to the plate and knock in Tolmie and Stein giving the Chippewas an early 2-0 lead. A line drive from Caitlyn Britton would score Coberley and give the Chippewas a 3-0 lead.
Backing up Lehto on the mound, the Chippewas defense came out to play. A diving catch in the 3rd inning from left fielder from Kelsey Alexander helped Lehto strand two runners and leave Ball State off the scoreboard.
Stein would lead the Chippewas offense going 2 for 3 with a double, single, and hit by pitch.
Ball State would come back in seventh inning and tie the game with a three-run homer from Faith Hensley and force a seventh inning at bat for the Chippewas.
Game Two
In what started with an early lead for the Chippewas was soon closed in by the Cardinals sending the game into extra innings. The Chippewas responded in walk-off fashion to close a 9-8 win.
The Chippewas got a 5-0 lead by the second inning off a two-run single, a double down the left field line and two shots up the middle.
The Chippewas defense held the Cardinals in back-to-back 1,2,3 innings. The Chippewas defense backed up Kaitlyn Bean as she took the mound for the Chippewas. Bean finished four innings with three strikeouts and allowed five runs. Caitlyn Britton and Faith Howe took the mound in relief for Bean.
A rally started for the Cardinals, when Faith Hensley sent the ball over the fence for her second home run of the day followed by Delanie Johnson ripping one through a gap in right center, bringing two runs in for the Cardinals cutting the Chippewas lead to two.
The Cardinals spark at the plate continued into their defense as they shut down the Chippewas bats and any chance of taking a further lead.
The Chippewas answered right back, scoring another run from a drive all the way to the fence by Tolmie bringing home Maddie Springer in her first game back from injury upping the Chippewas lead 7-5.
The pitching change for the Chippewas paid off with the help of the defense as they held the Cardinals in a clutch sixth inning. The Cardinals turned around and took advantage of a quiet inning for the Chippewas as well, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at seven.
In the bottom of the seventh the Chippewas managed to get a runner in scoring position, but the Cardinals found hope in off speed pitches finding the Chippewas kryptonite and to send the game into extra innings.
Defense from both teams stopped any chances of the game ending in the eighth inning. Going into the ninth inning the Chippewas made one last pitching change. Hensley was walked and a passed ball advanced her into scoring position. A pop up into center field drove Hensley home for the Cardinals to take the lead.
Britton stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth ripping a shot over the fence tying the game at 8. With two outs the Chippewas worked a single up the left side by Samantha Mills ultimately allowing a shot to right field by Tolmie to move her to third. A wild pitch by the Cardinal's pitcher gave Mills a window of opportunity to sprint home as she scored the winning run 9-8.
