Softball leaves 18 on base, swept in doubleheader at Ball State
After stranding 18 baserunners in two games, Central Michigan softball was swept in a doubleheader against Ball State Saturday in Muncie, Indiana.
The Cardinals took both games by a final score of 2-1.
The Chippewas now own a 19-20 record, 9-8 in the Mid-American Conference. The team has also lost five of their last six contests. Ball State improves to 29-16 (11-6 MAC) and take the series over CMU 2-1.
“We got runners on but couldn’t get runners in,” said head coach Margo Jonker. “We made a critical error in each game that gave (Ball State) one run and we did not score enough runs to overcome that.”
“We have to find a way to score runs with runners on (base.) We had multiple opportunities to score, we just couldn’t come through in those situations."
Game one
Ball State capitalized on two Chippewa errors in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. CMU threatened with bases loaded in the first, third and fourth innings, scoring only one run off a bases loaded walk in the fourth. The Chippewas left 11 runners on base.
Senior outfielder Lacy Tolfree finished 2-of-3 from the plate and stole her 19 base of the season. Junior Allison Curtis and freshman Shaidan Knapp each added a hit.
Senior Hanna Warren tossed five innings, allowing two unearned runs off five hits and four walks while striking out two batters.
“Pitching, I thought, kept us in the ball game,” Jonker said. “Overall I thought our pitching did quite well."
Ball State’s Carolyn Wilmes tossed 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run off four hits, four walks and three strikeouts. Alyssa Rothwell pitched 3 2/3 hitless innings, walking two and striking out three.
“(Ball State is) a good team, we competed with them and stayed in the ball game the entire time with them,” Warren said. “We all want different outlooks and different results to those games.”
Game two
Game two saw improved defense from the Chippewas, but the same end result, a 2-1 loss to Ball State.
The Cardinals scored in the bottom of the first off a Haley Dominique RBI single and again in the third from a solo home run off the bat of Maddy Labrador.
CMU registered seven hits in the second game, but didn’t score until the sixth inning thanks to Rachel Vieira’s RBI single to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Chippewas looked poised to tie the contest at 2-2 after a two-out double from Lacy Tolfree, who advanced to third off an outfield throwing error. Redshirt junior Sara Hansen had a chance to tie the game, but grounded out to first, giving Ball State a 2-1 victory and a sweep of the double header.
Junior Laura Vaccaro pitched five innings, allowing two runs off four hits while striking out three. Senior Taylor Weaver pitched two shutout innings in relief, allowing two walks and a strikeout.
Senior catcher Maison Kalina finished 2-of-3 with a double and a stolen base.
Ball State’s Aeshia Miles tossed 5 2/3 innings, surrendering one run off six hits and one walk while striking out three. Rothwell there 1 1/3 shutout innings in relief, allowing one hit and striking out one.
“I think (the doubleheader) is a good wake-up call for us,” Tolfree said. “We only have two more MAC weekends before we head into the (MAC) tournament. I think it’ll be a good (game) against Michigan State to to get our gears moving again."
CMU travels to face Michigan State at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25 in East Lansing.
“Michigan State is a good game for us,” Warren said. “Michigan State is a good hitting team. we’ll all have to be on as a pitching staff and get our bats going."
