CMU softball goes 3-2 in first weekend of spring games
Central Michigan softball traveled to Madeira Beach, Florida to compete in The Spring Games where they went 3-2 over the weekend, defeating Hofstra 9-2, Georgetown 5-2 and Southern Indiana 9-0 while falling to Southeastern Louisiana 3-1, and Coastal Carolina 1-0.
The Chippewas moved to 6-8 on the season.
CMU senior Kelsey Alexander showed her power at the plate, securing three home runs in the first three games. Alexander leads the team in home runs this season with five.
Game 1
The Chippewas started the weekend out with a 9-2 win over Hostra aided by 18 total hits to open the spring games on Friday.
CMU got on the board first in the top of the second inning when senior Emily Bracamonte scored on an error. With the bases loaded, junior Abbey Tolmie hit a 2-RBI single to push the lead to three. On the next at-bat junior Michaleigh Vallimont singled to score two more securing the fifth run of the inning and giving the Chippewas a 5-0 lead.
In the next inning, Vallimont singled up the middle to score redshirt senior Samantha Mills to add one more run to CMU’s tally, 6-0.
The Chippewas continued their momentum into the top of the fourth when senior Kelsey Alexander hit a solo home run to go up 7-0. CMU added one more run in the inning following a single from Mills that scored pinch runner Tessa Nuss.
Hofstra finally got on the board in the fourth inning due to a home run and a couple errors from the Chippewas defense to cut the deficit to six, 8-2.
CMU added another run in the top of the seventh after sophomore Allyssa Hollo hit a single that scored Tolmie to put them up 9-2. In the bottom half of the inning, the Chippewas secured three-straight outs to defeat Hostra.
CMU’s offense produced 18 hits with each one of the players in the starting lineup getting at least one hit. Five Chippewas secured a multi-hit game in the win.
Tolmie went 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs at the leadoff spot.
Batting out of the two spot, Vallimont went 3-for-4 securing a team high three RBIs.
Getting the win on the mound was junior Grace Lehto. Through five innings, Lehto had nine strikeouts with no walks, allowing two runs on three hits.
Game 2
In CMU’s second game on Friday, the Chippewas defeated Georgetown, 5-2 to go 2-0 on the day.
The Hoyas struck first in the top of the second when graduate student Morgan Zamora hit a two-run home run to put them ahead 2-0.
Following a slow start from CMU, the Chippewas got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Alexander hit her second home run of the day to cut the deficit to one. The Chippewas continued their momentum when sophomore Maddie Springer hit an RBI single to score Bracamonte’s pitch runner, Nuss to tie it at two.
To give CMU the 3-2 lead, Cronin scored on a wild pitch. On the next at-bat Vallimont singled to score Springer and get the two-run advantage at 4-2.
The Chippewas added one more run in the bottom of the fifth following a home run from redshirt junior Skylar Coberley to go up 5-2.
CMU held Georgetown scoreless for the next two innings to secure the win.
Redshirt senior Kaitlyn Bean got the win on the mound to move to 2-3 on the season. In seven innings pitched, she let up two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Game 3
After Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to an early lead, the Chippewas were unable to come back causing them to drop their first game of the weekend, 3-1 on Saturday.
The Lions took the lead in the bottom of the first inning from an RBI single to go up 1-0. Southeastern Louisiana added two more runs in the bottom of the third from back-to-back home runs.
Alexander hit a home run in the top of the fourth to secure her third home run in three games and to put CMU within two.
Both teams remained scoreless for the remainder of the game to hand the Chippewas the 3-1 loss.
Lehto got the loss on the mound to move to 3-5 on the season. In six innings pitched she let up three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Game 4
The Chippewas were held scoreless against Coastal Carolina in their first Sunday matchup, losing 1-0.
The only run in the matchup came in the fourth inning when CCU got a run off of an RBI single to put them up 1-0.
CMU was unable to get anything going in the game to drop their second-straight game.
Bean received the pitching loss, letting up one run on four hits with two walks and one strikeout.
Game 5
The Chippewas finished out the weekend games with a 9-0 win in five innings over Southern Indiana.
CMU got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning following a 2-RBI double from Coberley that scored Vallimont and Tolmie.
In the third inning, the Chippewas extended their lead when Vallimont scored on a wild pitch followed by a double from Cronin that scored Alexander to go up 4-0.
CMU added to its lead in the next inning when Bracamonte doubled to left field to score pinch runner Tailynn Knapp, giving the Chippewas the five-run advantage. Vallimont continued the momentum for CMU with an RBI single to push the lead up to 6-0. With the bases loaded, a wild pitch scored junior Faith Callahan extending the lead to seven. The scoring continued when Tolmie was brought in on a fielder's choice to put them up 8-0. CMU added one more run in the inning when Vallimont scored on a wild pitch to go into the fifth up 9-0.
The Chippewas held the Eagles scoreless in the fifth to secure the win.
Vallimont went 2-for-2 at the plate, scoring three runs while driving in one. Coberley went 1-for-2 at the plate, hitting a 2-RBI double in the first inning.
Sophomore pitcher Madelyn Wallace got the start and pitched a shutout, only letting up three hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Wallace moves to 2-1 on the season.
The Chippewas will face off against Southern Indiana for the second time on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to continue their spring games in Madeira Beach, Florida.
