Central Michigan University
Toledo
Chippewas Claim Series Win With A Split
4/28/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Lindsay Gerber, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Central Michigan softball team split its Mid-American Conference doubleheader with Toledo on Saturday at Margo Jonker Stadium.
The Chippewas (21-22, 11-9 MAC) came back to win the nightcap, 3-0, after dropping the opener, 8-0. They are scheduled to play their final MAC series of the season as they travel to Northern Illinois next weekend.
Saturday marked the last home date for CMU seniors Hanna Warren, Courtney Streich, Lacy Tolfree, Taylor Weaver, Laura Vaccaro and Maison Kalina.
The Chippewas took the series opener on Friday, 6-2. Combined with Saturday's split, it marked the first time this season that the MAC-West leading Rockets (31-17, 15-5) have dropped a league series.
GAME 1
Toledo took a 2-0 lead with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the third inning. The Rockets sealed it with six insurance runs in the sixth.
Losing pitcher Taylor Weaver (4-7), CMU's starter, allowed two runs on four hits over three innings. Laura Vaccaro and Hanna Warren both pitched in relief.
Winning pitcher Kailey Minarchick (17-4) tossed a two-hit complete game. She struck out one and walked two.
Lacy Tolfree and Maison Kalina had the hits for CMU.
GAME 2
Warren (8-7) went the distance in the circle for the Chippewas, striking out three and allowing seven hits.
CMU seized a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Lacy Tolfree led with a double and later scored on an Erika Underwood bunt.
Underwood hit her team-leading eighth home run of the season in the fifth to make it 2-0, and the Chippewas tacked on another run in the sixth when Tolfree scampered home from third base while Allison Curtis was caught in a rundown between first and second.
Tolfree recorded three of CMU's eight hits.
Losing pitcher Heather Webb (13-10) allowed two runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings.
CMU COACH Margo Jonker:
"Toledo is an excellent team this year, so for us to win the series says a lot. We really did a good job keeping their hitters that have tremendous batting averages off the bases most of the time ... the pitchers did a good job with that the whole weekend."
"(The seniors) mean a lot. Hopefully they keep in touch. It's a Chippewa softball family, and once you're a Chippewa you always are. I think a lot of all of them. They have totally unique personalities."
"Winning the series is the number one goal (next weekend). Then we want to get into the MAC Tournament, so that's also a goal. You want to finish strong and be able to get in the tournament strong."
