Central Michigan University
Eastern Michigan
Chippewas Win MAC Tournament Opener Over EMU, 4-1
5/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 11, 2005
NOTE: Wednesday night's Marshall-Kent State game was suspended in the second inning because of rain. It will resume at 10 a.m., on Thursday. The rest of the game times for Thursday have been adjusted as well. CMU and Miami are now scheduled to play at 5:30 p.m.
AKRON, Ohio - Chippewa pitcher Jill DeRoche gave up a leadoff homer to start the game but settled down after that to pick up the first Mid-American Conference Tournament victory of her career as No. 2-seeded Central Michigan University defeated No. 7-seeded Eastern Michigan, 4-1, in opening round action on Wednesday afternoon at Firestone Stadium.
The Chippewas tallied four unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning using a two-out rally. With the bases loaded, Jacque Benedict hit a two-run double to the gap in left-center and Christan Dhondt followed right after that with a two-run single.
CMU advances to face Miami on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., while EMU will play Bowling Green in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m., tomorrow. Miami has defeated CMU three straight times in the MAC tournament over the last two years.
Besides the early scoring, there really wasn't much offense in the game as both the Chippewas and Eagles tallied just three hits apiece. However, the Eagles committed two errors in the contest, one that extended the bottom of the second and allowed CMU to tally the four scores.
EMU's Lauren Clark battled to a full count against DeRoche to start the game before launching a solo shot over the fence in left-center to give the Eagles a lead from the beginning.
After giving up four runs to the Chippewas in the bottom of the second, EMU pulled starter Aimee Woodrum and brought in Michelle Lloyd who didn't give up a hit the final four and a third innings.
DeRoche went the distance, striking out six and walking three to improve to 12-0 against MAC foes this season. Woodrum dropped to 6-12 with the loss.
EMU did threaten on two occasions, once in the fourth when Nikki Denman crushed a shot to center field but Christin Sobeck made a grab on the run at the fence before crashing through the plastic portable barrier. DeRoche also loaded the bases in the sixth with a leadoff single and two walks, but she got pinch hitter Ashley Strauss to ground one back to the pitcher's circle with two outs ending the inning.
Dhondt was 2-for-3 in the game, hitting a ground rule double that bounced over the fence in the first inning. Amy Hudson was 0-for-1 with a pair of walks in her first two at-bats.
All of CMU's tournament games are being broadcast locally in Mount Pleasant on WMMI 830 AM. Night games will air on WCZY 104.3 FM.
This year's tournament includes the league's top eight teams with two brackets of four teams playing a double elimination format. The two bracket winners will face off in a championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m. Competing in the lower bracket are MAC champion and No. 1 seed Marshall, No. 4 Western Michigan, No. 6 Buffalo and No. 8 Kent State.
