Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan Travels to Florida for USF Tournament
2/28/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Mount Pleasant - Central Michigan opens up the USF tournament on Friday, March 1, against Providence. The Chippewas will play 13 games over eight days of competition, including taking on the No. 19 Kentucky. Freshman first baseman Katelyn Renstchler leads Central Michigan at the plate, hitting .400 on the season with four doubles. Sophomore shortstop Carol Ann Sexauer enters the tournament with a team-high two homeruns and six RBIs. Senior Kara Dornbos has pitched 12.1 innings with an ERA of 2.84. Junior Chelsea Sundberg has a team high 12 strikeouts heading to Florida.
March 1 vs. Providence, 3:45 p.m.
Providence enters Friday on a two-game losing streak. The Friars (2-3), played at the Florida Atlantic “Strike-Out Cancer” Tournament in late February. Providence’s two victories came against Northern Illinois, 13-7, and Connecticut, 2-1. Sarah Kitterman leads the Friars with two homeruns and seven RBIs. She is currently second on the team, batting .400. The Chippewas lead the all-time series against Providence, 1-0.
March 1 vs. St. Joe’s, 6 p.m.
St. Joe’s comes into the tournament undefeated at 3-0-1. The Hawks defeated St. John’s, 4-1, and Georgetown twice, 3-1 in both contests. Their tie came against St. John’s, 8-8, on the final day of the East Carolina Tournament. Dana Parks leads St. Joe’s at the plate, hitting .538 on the season with seven hits through four games. St. Joe’s is 2-0 all-time against Central Michigan. The Hawks defeated the Chippewas 2-0 in 2011 at the USF Tournament.
March 2 vs. No. 19 Kentucky, 2:45 p.m.
Kentucky currently is ranked no. 19 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Poll. The Wildcats are 11-3 on the season, with victories over No. 3 California, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 2 Stanford, and No. 16 Washington. Kentucky lost to No. Oklahoma 11-0 at the 23rd Campbell/Cartier Classic on Feb. 16. Lauren Cumbess leads the Wildcats with 15 RBIs and 19 hits. She is batting .452 on the season, and has two home runs. This will be the first meeting between Central Michigan and Kentucky.
March 2 vs. Loyola-Chicago, 5 p.m.
Loyola-Chicago is 1-2 on the season, defeating Rhode Island 7-0 in the season opener. Lauren Moore leads the Ramblers at the plate, batting .500 with four RBIs and two home runs. The Chippewas are 1-0 all-time against Loyola-Chicago.
March 3 vs. Stephen F. Austin, 11:30 a.m.
Stephen F. Austin enters the tournament 4-9 on the season. The Ladyjacks have wins over San Diego State, Creighton, Pittsburgh and North Carolina. Elizabeth Arana leads SFA with a .313 batting average and seven RBIs. This will be the first ever meeting between Central Michigan and the Ladyjacks.
March 5 vs. Penn State, 4 p.m.
Penn State currently is 3-4 on the season with wins over New Mexico State, UMKC and Iowa State. Cassidy Bell leads the Nittany Lions with a .591 batting average and 15 RBIs. Of her 13 hits, two have been for doubles and five for homeruns. Central Michigan trails the all-time series against Penn State 12-10. The Chippewas won the last meeting between the two teams on March 5, 2010, by a score of 5-2.
March 6 vs. South Florida (Doubleheader), 6 p.m.
South Florida comes into the week on a six-game losing streak. The Bulls defeated No. 13 Michigan early in the season, 3-2, and have lost to No. 4 Tennessee 11-0 on Feb. 16. Kourtney Salvarola leads South Florida with five RBIs and four doubles. The Bulls have three pitchers with ERAs under 2.00 and have combined for 118 strikeouts this season. Central Michigan is 5-11 all-time against South Florida. The Chippewas dropped both games against the Bulls last season, 6-2 and 5-2.
March 8 vs. Wagner, 10 a.m.
Wagner is currently 0-4 this season. The Seahawks are led by Kristen Matteoni with three RBIs and batting .300 this season. Central Michigan won the only meeting between the two teams, 11-0, on March 6, 2011.
March 8 vs. Fordham, 12:15 p.m.
Fordham enters the week 4-6 on the season with wins over Chattanooga and Virginia Tech. Elise Fortier leads the Rams at the plate, hitting three homeruns this season and bringing in nine runs. Central Michigan leads the all-time series 3-1 against Fordham. The Chippewas defeated the Rams last season in Fla., 8-0, in five innings.
March 9 vs. UMass, 9:30 a.m.
UMass comes in the contest currently 2-6. They have beaten Illinois State and Southern Illinois, with losses to Michigan and Indiana. Tiffany Meeks leads the Minutewomen with a .316 batting average and seven RBIs. UMass leads the all-time series against Central Michigan, 5-1. The last time the two teams met, the No. 21 Minutewomen defeated the Chippewas 6-0.
March 9 vs. Loyola Marymount, 2:30 p.m.
Loyola Marymount is 4-6 on the season, and will play four more games before facing off against Central Michigan. The Lions have a balanced scoring offense with eight different players having multiple RBIs on the season. Olivia Alvarez leads the team with six RBIs, and is batting .345. Central Michigan and Loyola Marymount are 2-2 when facing off against each other. The Lions bettered the Chippewas last season, 4-1.
March 10 vs. Quinnipiac, 9 a.m.
Quinnipiac sits at 1-3 on the season after having its first four games of the season cancelled. As a team, the Bobcats are batting .216 on the season and have scored 11 runs. Nikki Barba leads Quinnipiac with two RBIs and is batting .455. Central Michigan leads the all-time series against the Bobcats, 2-0. The Chippewas defeated Quinnipiac 8-0 in five innings last time the two team met in 2011.
