Central Michigan University Athletics
Softball Wins Fourth Straight To Advance to Pool Play Semis
3/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Robert Morris Box Score
Chattanooga Box Score
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Central Michigan University ran its season-best winning streak to four straight with a pair of wins at Saturday's adidas Invitational hosted by the University of South Florida.
The Chippewas closed pool play with a 10-0 rout of Robert Morris. CMU then won its Gold Bracket quarterfinal game over Chattanooga, 3-2, thanks to a game-winning RBI by Suzie Giroux in the top of the seventh.
"One of our goals in any tournament is to be playing on Sunday and we are playing tomorrow," coach Margo Jonker said. "We haven't played in a tournament on Sunday for a couple years now, so this is a good feeling. We have been playing great softball against quality teams and we've been competing when we are ahead, behind or tied. The entire team is focused and the energy level is intense."
CMU plays North Carolina in the Gold Bracket semifinal on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. The winner will advance to face the Georgia Tech/Hofstra winner at 11:30 a.m. for the championship. CMU and Hofstra both advanced to the Gold Bracket out of Pool C and Hofstra defeated the Chippewas, 2-1, in pool play back on Thursday.
Central Michigan 10, Robert Morris 0
The Chippewas ended this one in five innings but not before Robert Morris notched its lone hit of the game off Jill DeRoche in the fifth. DeRoche struck out 10 of the 16 batters she faced to earn her first win of the year. Ashlee Smith notched a single to lead off the fifth for the Colonials' only hit of the game.
CMU pounded out 12 hits and scored twice in the first, five times in the second, once in the third and twice in the fourth.
Suzie Giroux, Jacque Benedict, Jill Schulz and Katie Horvath each had a pair of RBI while Tracy Kaatz, Stephanie Crews and Kim Cozat all had two hits apiece.
Central Michigan 3, Chattanooga 2
Pitcher Ali Pettit won her fourth straight decision with a complete game victory over Chattanooga. The sophomore scattered five hits and held the Lady Mocs to just two runs while striking out five.
CMU struck first with a single run in the top of the third. Katie Greenman poked a one-out single through the left side of the infield and she moved to second on a Suzie Giroux single. Amy Hudson pushed Greenman across the plate with an RBI single down the left field line.
However, Chattanooga came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. The Lady Mocs put together three hits in the frame, including a two-run single by Tia Blosser.
Senior Lindsey Calme tied the score in the sixth with a two-out homer to center, her second roundtripper of the season.
UTC made a pitching change in the seventh and freshman Brooke Loudermilk came in and got the first two Chippewas out with a strikeout and fly out. But, CMU's leading hitter Tracy Kaatz singled and then advanced to second on an illegal pitch. Giroux then bounced a single over the third baseman's head that hit on the line and drove Kaatz in putting CMU back on top.
Pettit hit a batter with a pitch in the seventh but that was the only runner who would reach base.
Giroux finished 3-for-4 as CMU had seven hits to the Lady Mocs' five.
