CMU softball season ends in Akron
Tied at five in the top of the eighth inning, Central Michigan softball looked to advance to the next round of the Mid-American Conference tournament Wednesday.
Then Northern Illinois infielder Madison Mathews stepped into the batter's box with runners on second and third base. Mathews got a hold of the first pitch, sending the ball into deep right field, where it was caught for an out, but not before NIU outfielder Lia Nance reached home, capitalizing on the sacrifice fly to give the Huskies a one point lead.
CMU failed to respond and the 6-5 tally forced the Chippewas into the lower bracket. An 8-1 loss to Akron ended the Chippewas' season.
Game 1
The first game of the conference tournament for the third-seeded CMU saw it facing sixth-seeded NIU. The Huskies started the scoring early in the bottom of the first inning, after a double from Alana Powell allowed Katy Ramage to reach home.
Northern tacked a second run onto the scoreboard after a single from Nance, but CMU outfielder Emma Lotus picked off Powell as she tried to reach home plate. The Chippewas exited the first inning trailing by one.
Lotus continued her momentum, recording two RBIs off of a single to right field in the bottom of the second, and CMU jumped to a 2-1 lead.
Northern Illinois responded quickly in the top of the third, with Mathews reaching first base, only to be batted in minutes later on a double from Ramage. That evened the score at two.
The teams continued the back-and-forth, with Chippewa Rachel Cairo sliding a hit up the gap in centerfield for an RBI double and recapturing a 3-2 lead.
The Huskies refused to let CMU hold the lead for long; Powell crushed a game-tying homerun to centerfield early in the top of the fourth inning. NIU kept its foot on the gas, adding two additional runs to close out the inning and taking the biggest lead of the night at 5-3.
The squad from Mount Pleasant continued clawing back, tying the game at five with a double from Jenna Kuzara evening the score.
However, the Huskies pulled away for the final time in the eighth inning, winning 6-5 to move on to the next round of the tournament. CMU moved to the lower bracket where the fifth seeded Akron Zips awaited.
Game 2
The Zips jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead early in the top of the first inning, loading the bases for Andrea Day. CMU retired the sides with no further damage.
Akron struck again in the top of the second on an Alexis Campbell double, batting in two runners and extending the Zips' lead to four.
CMU struggled early offensively, unable to find a hit for the first five innings and allowing Akron to claim two more runs in the top of the fourth. Central Michigan closed the inning after Ohio loaded the bases, again stranding three runners.
But Akron added one more run in the top of the sixth, extending its lead to seven.
Carly Sleeman broke the offensive drought for the Chippewas, launching a homerun to right field to cut the deficit. However, Akron forced three straight outs to kill any momentum CMU had gained.
The Zips tacked on one point in the seventh inning for good measure, and the Chippewas squad ended the season on the 1-8 loss. The team wrapped the year with a 26-25 overall record, and a 17-8 scorecard in conference play.
