Chippewas Deliver At The Plate, Earn Split With Western

Tuesday, April 2

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

12-18-1, 3-2-1

Western Michigan

10-13, 3-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Western Michigan	3	3	1	0	1	2	2	12	14	2
Central Michigan	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	7	3

4/2/2019 7:20:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

Knapp, Hansen spark CMU with back-to-back triples

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A different game, a different story.

Central Michigan jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the nightcap on Tuesday in turning the tables on Western Michigan in claiming an 11-3 victory to earn a split of a Mid-American Conference softball doubleheader at Margo Jonker Stadium.

The Broncos won the opener, 12-5. CMU is 13-18-1, 4-3-1 MAC. Western is 10-14, 3-1.

"Every game is its own entity," CMU coach Margo Jonker said. "In our game anything can happen at any given time so we've got to be able to come back from every situation that comes up. Every game is different, every pitcher is different, every at-bat is different. You face each one as they come and make adjustments."

GAME 2
Shaidan Knapp and Sara Hansen led off game two with back-to-back triples, sparking the Chippewas to a 12-hit outburst. CMU scored three runs in the first inning and then exploded for seven runs in the second.

"Shaidan coming out and getting a triple in the first at-bat was pretty impressive," Jonker said. "Way to set the tone, and then coming back behind that with another one. I thought we did an excellent job coming back after a bad game, coming back and setting a tone.

"We talk a lot about momentum. We want to get the momentum and keep the momentum on our side. When you start out strong after you've just gotten crushed the game before it certainly gives you a lot more energy."

Erika Underwood's one-out line-drive solo homer to right field ended the game on the run rule in the bottom of the fifth.

Knapp finished with two triples, while Underwood, Rachel Vieira and Morgan Gardner added two hits apiece.

Freshman Kaitlyn Bean (4-3) struck out two and allowed six hits for the victory.

"I thought she did a nice job," Jonker said of Bean. "When she got the ball up or her location wasn't as good that's when they got their hits. When she had good location and good movement that's when they didn't touch her very much. That's the key for her, the location and the movement."

GAME 1
The Broncos, who collected 14 hits in the opener, scored three runs in each of their first two at-bats and never let the Chippewas off the deck.

Hansen had three hits to lead CMU at the plate.

CMU starter Samantha Howell (3-5) took the loss. She allowed six runs on five hits over 1 1/3 innings. Cloe Mallory and Shannon Stein pitched in relief.