Central Michigan University Athletics
Puchalski Strikes Again - Another No-Hitter
4/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 13, 2001
TOLEDO, Ohio--Lightning struck for the fifth time this season for the Central Michigan softball team.
Freshman phenom Amber Puchalski threw her fifth no-hitter in leading the Chippewas to a 2-0 win over Toledo on Friday afternoon.
Puchalski struck out a season-high 14 en route to the victory. Her record stands at 13-7 on the year.
Her five no-hitters ties Linda Pagett's career mark of five no-no's while Puchalski builds on the season record she already owns.
It was a pitchers duel through the first five innings with neither team getting on the scoreboard.
Central broke through with a pair of runs in the sixth inning to break the deadlock.
Becky Manson led off the sixth inning with a double to right, advanced to third on a sacrifice by Amy Morrison and scored on a groundout by Hope Robertshaw. Jen Skuta increased the lead to 2-0 with her team-leading fourth homer of the year.
Puchalski struck out the first six batters and eight of the first nine to keep the Rocket batters off balance.
Skuta went 2-for-3 with a home run to lead the CMU offensive attack.
The victory also marked a milestone for CMU head coach Margo Jonker. With the win, she posted her 750 career victory. Jonker's career record stands at 750-410.
The Chippewas (20-17 overall, 11-3 Mid-American Conference and Rockets meet in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
