Central Michigan softball splits weekend at T-Mobile Tournament
To open the 2023 season, Central Michigan softball went 2-2 at the T-Mobile Invitational, defeating Delaware State, 13-3 and 8-0 while dropping matchups against No. 3 Florida, 15-1 and UCONN 3-2.
Junior pitcher Grace Lehto went 1-1 on the mound for CMU recording 13 strikeouts with two walks while giving up 10 hits throughout seven innings pitched.
Junior Michaleigh Vallimont had two multi-hit games in the four-game stretch, batting a .429 with four RBIs and four runs.
At the lead-off spot for the Chippewas, junior center fielder Abbey Tolmie went 6-for-13 (.462) at the plate, securing a hit in each of the four games and scoring four runs for CMU.
The Chippewas only struck out four times through the four-game stretch.
Game 1
In the season opener, CMU faced off against Delaware State where they defeated the Hornets 13-3 in five innings on Friday.
In the top of the first inning, the Chippewas jumped out to the 4-0 lead on Delaware State following a grand slam from senior left fielder Kelsey Alexander on her first at-bat of the year. However, the Hornets shot right back in the bottom half of the inning to chip away at CMU’s lead, 4-1.
The Chippewas tallied three more runs to their lead in the second inning to go up 7-1. Vallimont started the rally with an RBI double followed by a SAC line out from sophomore Allyssa Hollo and an RBI single from redshirt-junior Skylar Coberley.
CMU continued to extend its lead, 10-1, in the fourth inning with a 2-RBI double from Hollo followed by Alexander who punched in her fifth RBI of the day on a single. Shortly after, the Chippewas scored three more runs off of a 2-RBI single from sophomore Maddie Springer and a wild pitch to go into the fifth up 13-1.
Redshirt senior Faith Howe came in to pitch for the final inning giving up two runs on three hits. However, the comeback effort from the Hornets was shut down as Howe got a strike out for the final out to give CMU the 13-3 mercy win.
Lehto got the start on the mound, pitching four innings and letting up one run on three hits while having 10 strikeouts and one walk.
Game 2
To begin the second day of the tournament, CMU faced off against UCONN where its comeback was cut short as the Huskies defeated the Chippewas 3-2.
After a scoreless top half of the first inning from CMU, UCONN striked first in the bottom half, scoring two runs to go up 2-0.
However, CMU started to find some momentum going into the sixth inning. Following back-to-back hits, senior third baseman Emily Bracamonte hit a SAC fly to score Coberley. In the next at-bat, Alexander scored off of an error from UCONN to get within one of the Huskies, 3-2.
With one last chance in the top of the seventh inning, the Chippewas could not get anything going with three-straight outs as they fell to UCONN and dropped to 1-1 on the weekend.
Redshirt senior Kaitlyn Bean got the start on the mound for the Chippewas. Pitching six innings, she allowed three runs on five hits and five strikeouts.
Game 3
For its second game of the day, CMU faced off against Delaware State again and defeated them in six innings, 8-0 on Saturday.
Redshirt senior Samantha Mills got the Chippewas on the board first in the bottom of the second with an RBI single. Two at-bats later with the bases loaded, Vallimont singled to center to drive in two more runs to go up 3-0. CMU scored one more run in the inning on a SAC fly from Hollo to score Tolmie.
The Chippewas continued the momentum in the third, adding two more runs to their lead following a SAC fly from Springer and an RBI single from Mills.
After a scoreless fourth inning, CMU scored one more run in the fifth to extend its lead, 7-0.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Chippewas only needed one run to complete the run rule. Following a double from Tolmie, Vallimont tripled to right field, scoring Tolmie and moving the lead to 8-0 to take the win.
Sophomore Madelyn Wallace got the win on the mound, pitching a shutout on four hits and five strikeouts through five innings.
Tolmie went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot, scoring two runs for CMU in the win. Vallimont also went 3-for-4 at the plate, securing three RBIs.
Game 4
In the final game of the tournament, the Chippewas faced off against their toughest opponent of the weekend, going up against the undefeated third-ranked team in the nation, Florida. After getting on the board first, CMU couldn’t keep up with the Gators’ offense and fell 15-1 in five innings.
After two scoreless innings, the Chippewas struck first as Hollo hit an RBI double to put CMU ahead 1-0. However, Florida shot right back in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run that started a rally for the Gators as they ended the inning up 5-1.
Florida didn’t stop there, scoring 10 runs in the fifth inning to take a 15-1 lead over CMU. Three-straight outs from the Chippewas in the bottom of the fifth gave the Gators the 15-1 run rule victory.
The Chippewas struggled against Florida's senior pitcher Rylee Trlicek only producing three hits and one run. On the other hand, the Gators had 13 hits scoring 15 runs.
CMU will continue non-conference play on Friday when it heads to Bowling Green, Kentucky to compete in the WKU Hilltopper Classic starting with a matchup against Jacksonville State at 10 a.m.
