With one out in the bottom of the sixth inning in the final game of a three-game series, Central Michigan softball was tied at three with Miami (Ohio) as the RedHawks center fielder Jenna Golembiewski stepped into the batter’s box.

Golembiewski, who had two hits earlier in the game, launched the ball deep into center field for A solo homerun, giving Miami (Ohio) a one run lead.

CMU could not score in the seventh inning, and the RedHawks walked out of Margo Jonker Stadium with a 4-3 victory, and a 2-1 series victory.

The one win and two loses over the weekend ends the eight-game win streak the Chippewas were riding and sets Central Michigan's record to 16-17 on the season.

"This is a game of inches, and the inches just weren't on our side today," head coach McCall Salmon said.

Game 1

The first game of Saturday's double-header started slow, with neither team able to record a hit in the first inning.

The Chippewas were able to put two runners on base in the top of the second after Grace Koenig was walked and Allyssa Hollo was hit by a pitch, but the following batters were unable to bring anyone home, stranding the runners on first and second as the inning ended.

Both teams continued to struggle at the plate with Miami recording the first hit of game one in the bottom of the third inning when Danitza Hernandez hit a single up the middle. Despite the hit breaking the ice for the RedHawks, the squad from Ohio was unable to bring the runner home by the end of the inning.

Central Michigan found some momentum at the plate in the top of the fourth inning when Tori Briggs hit a single to the shortstop, giving CMU its first hit of the game.

The team from Mount Pleasant continued to grow the momentum as a double from Hollo allowed Briggs to round third and reach home plate, giving Central Michigan a 1-0 lead as the inning closed.

Miami (Ohio) looked to respond quickly, drilling back-to-back singles early in the bottom of the fourth inning. A sacrifice fly-ball would advance the runners to second and third base with two outs.

However, the Chippewas resilience won in the bottom of the fourth and a strikeout collected the third out of the inning, once again leaving runners stranded in scoring position for Miami (Ohio).

In the top of the fifth inning CMU was able to put runners on second and third base with only one out as Carly Sleeman took the batter’s box.

Sleeman launched a single to left field scoring a runner to tack an extra run to the lead, making the score 2-0 for Central Michigan.

"She (Sleeman) steps in the box and she's just a hard out every single time," Salmon said. "She's someone that can really set the tone on defense and offense."

The RedHawks responded with urgency in the top of the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs on three hits to take a 3-2 lead.

Neither team would score for the rest of the game, giving Miami (Ohio) the nod in game one of the series.

Game 2

The second game started with both teams trading hits, unable to find any sustainable momentum, until the bottom of the fourth, when three consecutive walks loaded the bases for CMU outfielder Jenna Kuzara.

Kuzara hit a sacrifice pop-fly, allowing the runner on third to score, giving CMU a 1-0 lead. Another runner would reach home quickly aster, extending the lead to two.

Miami (Ohio) quickly responded in the bottom of the fourth with a run of its own after three hits, making the score 2-1 for CMU as the inning closed.

The Chippewas dominated the top of the fifth, capping off the inning with Hollo ripping a three-run homerun to grow the lead to 5-1 for Central Michigan.

Miami was unable to respond in the bottom of the fifth, and the following inning CMU tacked on three more runs making the score 8-1 heading into the top of the sixth.

"This team (CMU) makes really good adjustments at the plate, and we adjust not only pitch to pitch but batter to batter," Salmon said. "We had to maintain our confidence."

Central Michigan closed the game out 8-2 taking game two of the three game series.

Mackenzie Langan was the pitcher given credit for the win, bringing her to 7-7 on the season.

Game 3

The RedHawks started the third game of the series strong in the bottom of the first, with Chloe Parks belting a double of center field and Mckenna Campbell forcing a walk to put runners on first and second base.

That is when Erin Pinter got a hold of a strike on a 2-2 count, sending the ball over the wall in left field for a three-run homerun to give Miami (Ohio) an early 3-0 lead.

CMU responded in the top of the third after Keira Tolmie was walked and quickly made it to third base after a series of wild throws.

Emma Lotus hit a single to center field, scoring Tolmie to give CMU its first run.

A single down the left field line allowed Lotus to reach home plate, cutting the deficit to one by the end of the inning with the RedHawks still in front 3-2.

The momentum came to a lull for Miami (Ohio) as it struggled to respond, making way for a Lotus homerun to tie the game at three in the top of the fifth inning.

However, the RedHawks refused to go down easy with a Golembiewski homerun to centerfield in the bottom of the sixth immediately taking a 4-3 lead back for the team from Ohio.

Central Michigan was unable to respond in the seventh inning, giving the RedHawks the win.

"We've done a lot of things great; pitchers are keeping us in games and offensively we're grinding out at bats," Salmon said. "We're just going to keep playing and the results will come."

Central Michigan softball is back on the road, headed to Ann Arbor to play the Michigan Wolverines at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

CMU softball comes up shy of series win against Miami (Ohio)

Related Stories

Share: