Softball looks to win again
Greg Burghardt
The Chippewas are 19-11 and 8-4 in the MAC, which puts them in an unfamiliar second place in the West Division. Michigan State is 26-11 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten. CMU holds a 49-21-2 lead in the overall series.
“I think Michigan State has more team speed than us,” said Head Coach Margo Jonker. “They have more lefties in their lineup, but other than that we’re pretty similar.”
Leading the Chippewas in the circle is junior Amber Puchalski. She is 9-4 on the season with a 1.14 ERA and 89 strikeouts. Senior Michelle Brander has been carrying the load on offense, with a batting average of .422. Brander can become the third player in CMU history to finish the season over .400. She also leads the team with 61 RBI.
Jonker said the cancellation of recent games should not have affected the team’s play.
“We were on a roll and the break certainly took us out of that momentum,” Jonker said. “There were some other teams with exactly the same scenario who came out and won, and to use that would be an excuse for a poor performance.”
Jonker expects the team to bounce back after the losses to Western.
“The plan is we’ll see what we’re made of when we go to Michigan State,” Jonker said. “If we’re competitors, we will come back feisty.”
Jonker said the Chippewas’ energy level has to rise.
“I would like to see the energy level and competitiveness be at the level that is necessary for a top performance,” Jonker said. “Mentally, we weren’t sharp against Western.”
The Chippewas trail Western for the top spot in the West Division.
“Right now we have to play well and we need help from others,” Jonker said. “Right now we aren’t in control of our own destiny, but what we can control is how we play the remainder of the season.”
Central will return home over the the weekend for a three-game conference series with Buffalo. The Bulls are 11-14 overall, including a 3-6 league mark.
Late-inning heroics earned a pair of come-from-behind victories over Ohio last weekend, as Buffalo took two out of three. Breanne Nasti and Marce Ross are the team’s leading hitters, with each hitting over .340.
Stacey Evans (7-8) is the top pitcher, with a 1.58 ERA and four shutouts.
“Every game is huge for us right now,” Jonker said. “We need to win to get into the MAC Tournament.”
A Saturday doubleheader will follow a 3:30 p.m. Friday game.
