Softball swept at Kent State
After nearly a month of home games, CMU softball returned to the road.
Unfortunately, the Chippewas left Kent State empty-handed with the sound of brooms in the background.
CMU (11-25, 9-17) was swept at Diamond at Dix, allowing the Golden Flashes (20-21, 16-11) to stay in its comfortable third slot in the Mid-American Conference standings.
The four-game loss streak knocked CMU down a rung and into the bottom three seats of the conference, above Western Michigan and Akron.
Game one
A blast-off start from the Golden Flashes pushed past the Chippewas early for two runs, leaving the latter a long game to play catch-up.
Pitcher Kaitlyn Bean worked the circle to keep the Golden Flashes at bay, delivering one strikeout per frame for the second, third, fourth and fifth innings for a game total of four. The junior right-hander allowed six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Skylar Coberley singled in the top of the fifth, advancing to second by a fumbled throw. A KSU mishap scored Kelsey Alexander to put CMU on the board.
Shannon Stein tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left field in the sixth to score Tailynn Knapp, leaving an inning to settle the score.
A single by Kent State with two on base in the final frame closed the day, capitalizing on an error at center field to score one and claim the opener 3-2.
Game two
Kent State's Megan Turner homered in the bottom of the second to break the doubleheader open, laying claim to the only run on the board until the fifth inning.
The Chippewas started their tally in the top of the fifth, matching the Golden Flashes on the board with a single from Gisele Acuña to score Alexander. Kent State tacked on five runs in the following frame, overcoming the Chippewas pitching change from Cloe Mallory to Grace Lehto.
Mallory ended her day allowing two earned runs off six hits in 4 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out another.
While the Golden Flashes were finished on the board, the Chippewas had some fight left. With two on base, Shannon Stein stepped up and walloped a homer past the fence.
Gabbie Sherman pitched a complete game for Kent State's 6-4 victory, striking out four Chippewas, walking two, and allowing just five hits for three earned runs.
Game three
Kent State scored a run in the first to open the second game of the day, putting quick pressure on Lehto.
Caitlyn Britton relieved some of the pressure in the second frame, sailing her third home run of the season out of the stadium to tie the score.
The Golden Flashes added three runs in the bottom of the second off a double to left center. Two more runs from the fifth and sixth frames made the day, clearing the second game 6-1.
Kent State's Jessica Lebeau shut out the Chippewas in the circle, striking out eight and allowing four hits and one run.
Lehto carried on from game one for five innings, striking out four, walking three and allowing six hits for one earned run.
Game four
CMU and Kent State returned to Dix at Diamond on Sunday to square off in the final fight, but Kent State emerged victorious.
Britton opened the day, ripping a homer beyond the fence to extend her season's runs to four.
Kent State picked up two runs in the bottom of the second, forcing the Chippewas to swap Mallory for Kaitlyn Bean in the circle.
CMU struggled offensively, hitting hard on clean pitches but finding multiple fly-outs and groundouts. Across two Kent State pitchers, 16 at-bats resulted in a groundout or flyout.
The Chippewas tied things up in the top of the fifth when Coberley put the barrel of the bat to the ball, knocking the pitch clean over the left field fence.
An error at the plate scored Kent State for the final piece of the puzzle in the bottom of the sixth. CMU hit hard in the seventh but couldn't string together another run, giving the Golden Flashes the 3-2 win and the series sweep.
Up next
The Chippewas will return home to Margo Jonker Stadium for another weekday doubleheader against Toledo (22-19, 12-13), starting at 1 p.m. on May 4.
