Central Michigan University
USC Upstate
Two More Wins For CMU Softball
3/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Lindsay Gerber, CMUChippewas.com
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Central Michigan softball team improved its Spring Break record to 7-1 as they took the victory in their two games on Friday against Fort Wayne 2-1, and against USC Upstate 5-1, in the USF Invitational.
The Chippewas (12-7) extended their win streak to four and will continue their closing weekend in Florida on Saturday against Army (11:30 a.m.) and South Florida (4:15 p.m.). CMU will play its final game of the trip on Sunday against Purdue (9 a.m.).
The Chippewas have won 12 of their last 14 starts.
Rachael Knapp (7-3) struck out 12 for the win against USC Upstate, which had won three straight games and 17 of its last 18. Knapp went the distance, allowing just four hits. She walked two.
Erika Underwood, Allison Curtis and Evelyn Lorimer had two hits apiece to lead CMU at the plate, while Lacy Tolfree doubled and Sydney Heath tripled. CMU outhit the Spartans (20-4), 8-4.
Tolfree scored on a wild pitch to stake the Chippewas to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Heath stroked an RBI triple and scored on a while pitch as CMU padded its lead with a two-run second.
Andrea Perlberg had two hits and Tolfree and Vieira had one apiece in the victory over Fort Wayne (3-17).
The Chippewas scored first on a Vieira RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. The Mastodons tied in the top of the fifth on Jessica Murray's RBI double.
CMU scored the go-ahead in the bottom of the fifth when Andrea Perlberg reached on an infield single, and Tolfree followed with a bunt single. Perlberg was forced at third on Andrea Curtis' fielder's choice, and Tolfree moved up to second. She took third on a Maison Kalina flyout and scored when she and Curtis executed a double steal.
CMU starter Laura Vaccaro allowed one run on six hits and struck out two over 4 2/3 innings. Hanna Warren (3-4) relieved Vaccaro and got the win, working out of a fifth-inning jam. She walked two and struck out one.
Knapp struck out four over the final two innings for the save.
