Softball Completes Series Sweep At Akron

Saturday, May 8

Akron, Ohio

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

15-26, 13-18

Akron

8-39, 7-26

Central Michigan

Akron

Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22

5/8/2021 9:29:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Chippewas run win streak to 5 games

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

AKRON, Ohio – Abbey Tolmie had five hits and Central Michigan employed its pitching depth on Saturday in sweeping Akron, 6-4 and 8-2, in a Mid-American Conference softball doubleheader at the Zips' Jackson Field.

The Chippewas swept a doubleheader from the Zips for the second consecutive day and swept a MAC series for the first time this season. CMU has won five straight games, matching its longest win streak of the season.

Sophomore Emily Bracamonte hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Chippewas to the game-1 win; CMU got two hits apiece from Tolmie and Skylar Coberley and took advantage of seven walks in winning the nightcap.

It was the second homer of the season for Bracamonte, CMU's No. 8 hitter.

"We'd gone four scoreless innings just battling with them, and (Bracamonte) stepped up with a great swing on a great ball. It was nice to see her break through," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "Any time you can get production from the bottom of your lineup good things are going to happen."

After getting complete-game shutouts on Friday from Grace Lehto and Kaitlyn Bean, the Chippewas used four pitchers – Lehto, Bean, Caitlyn Britton and Cloe Mallory -- on Saturday.

"It was a complete effort by our pitching staff," Salmon said.

Britton (1-1) got the win in the opener, holding the Zips scoreless over four innings in relief of Lehto. Britton struck out four, walked two and surrendered four hits. Lehto allowed four runs on six hits and struck out three over three frames.

Mallory got the save, her first of the season. She allowed back-to-back one-out singles in the bottom of the eighth and then got a groundball and a strikeout to strand two and end it.

Tolmie, the Chippewas' leadoff hitter, had three hits, while Shannon Stein added two.

CMU scored three runs in the third and added three more in the fourth in building a 6-0 lead in the nightcap.

Mallory (3-4) started and threw three innings of one-hit, shutout ball to earn the win. Bean allowed two runs on eight hits while fanning six over the final four frames.

CMU committed just one error in the doubleheader and just two in the series after committing six last weekend in dropping four games at Kent State.

The Chippewas were outhit in both games on Saturday, 12-8 in the opener and 9-8 in the nightcap.

"Our hits came in key situations," Salmon said. "It shows our progression. This team battles; they don't give up; they continue to fight. In May you want to be playing your best softball and I think we're starting to put some things together. It's nice to see us playing to our potential defensively."