Central Michigan University
Ball State
CMU Falls Into Elimination Bracket
5/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
AKRON, Ohio -- Now, it's get-tough time for the Central Michigan softball team.
Loren Cihlar doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning Friday as Ball State knocked CMU into the elimination bracket of the Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 3-2 victory at Firestone Stadium.
The Chippewas (27-22) will play an elimination game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday against fifth-seeded Western Michigan (24-25). The Broncos defeated top-seeded Kent State, 8-3, in an elimination game on Friday.
The Chippewas, who were seeded fourth, opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over the Broncos. CMU is 3-0 against the Broncos this season.
The winner of Central-Western game will play second-seeded Ball State (32-23) in the title game at 1 p.m. If Ball State loses that game, a second championship game will follow.
The Chippewas committed two errors -- both in the third inning -- that led to the first run of the game. Ball State extended its lead to 2-0 on a Hanne Stuedemann RBI double in the fourth.
CMU cut its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out RBI single by MAC Player of the Year Katelyn Rentschler. The Chippewas' Chelsea DeLamielleure singled in a run in the sixth to tie the game 2-2.
CMU threatened in the bottom of the seventh, getting a runner to second with one out, but left her stranded. The Chippewas left six on in the game, while Ball State stranded three.
CMU pitcher Rachael Knapp (17-11) set down the first two Ball State hitters in the top of the eighth, then hit Selena Reyna with a pitch. Cihlar followed with her run-scoring double.
The Chippewas went down in order in their half of the eighth.
Knapp went the distance, allowing three hits, walking one and striking out seven.
Nicole Steinbach (17-13) earned the win. She went 2 2/3 innings in relief of starter Kelsey Schifferdeck. Steinbach did not allow a hit and struck out two. Schifferdeck surrendered two runs on four hits, struck out four, and walked one.
Earlier on Friday, Western Michigan defeated Miami (Ohio), 5-4; and Kent State topped Akron, 3-2, in eight innings, in elimination-bracket games.
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