Friday, March 25
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
1 p.m.
Central Michigan University
12-12, 3-1
4
vs
3
Ball State
7-17, 0-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Ball State
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
5
3
Central Michigan
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
8
0
CMU softball players celebrate their dramatic walk-off victory over Ball State on Friday at Margo Jonker Stadium.
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Two Walk-Off Wins For Softball
3/25/2022 8:20:00 PM | Softball
CMU sweeps twinbill from Ball State, eyes series sweep on Saturday
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Two games do not a softball season make.
But Friday's Mid-American Conference doubleheader sweep at Margo Jonker Stadium was one heck of an early season boost for Central Michigan.
The Chippewas posted a pair of dramatic walk-off victories over Ball State, 4-3 and 9-8, in improving to 13-12, 4-1 MAC. The teams are scheduled to close the series on Saturday (1 p.m.). Ball State is 7-18, 0-2.
"We built our nonconference schedule to be battle tested and this is where it's paying off," said CMU coach McCall Salmon, whose team is 6-3 in games decided by two runs or less. "We've had these opportunities before, and we've seen success and we haven't seen success and we weren't going to quit.
"Having the advantage of being home and having the bats in our hands at the end was key."
Caitlyn Britton hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Chippewas in the opener, and then Samantha Mills raced home from third base on a wild pitch to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth in the nightcap.
"I think it sets the tone for us in MAC play," said Salmon, who harkened back to last season when the Chippewas started 2-11 in league play, including a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cardinals. "For us to get to the next level and to compete for MAC championships, we've got to beat these teams consistently. To do it at the end of March is setting us up in the right direction."
Britton's game-winning sacrifice fly in the opener came after Michaleigh Vallimont reached on an error and then took second on a Skylar Coberley bunt single. Another error – Ball State committed six on the day – moved Vallimont to third and then Britton blasted a fly ball to center field. Vallimont slid home ahead of the tag.
The Chippewas scored three runs in the first inning and held that 3-0 lead until the seventh, when BSU's Faith Hensley hit a two-out, three-run homer to tie it.
The nightcap followed a similar script and played out in an even more dramatic fashion.
The Chippewas led, 6-0, through two innings before the Cardinals chipped away and eventually tied the game, 7-7, with two runs in the top of the seventh.
The Cardinals went up, 8-7, with a run in the top of the ninth. It was the only time CMU trailed throughout the entire doubleheader.
Britton, a sophomore, led off the bottom of the ninth with the game-tying homer to straight-away center.
With two out and none on, Mills slapped a 2-2 pitch to the opposite field for a single, and then Abbey Tolmie followed with another opposite field single on a full-count pitch. That sent Mills to third.
Shannon Stein then worked the count to 2-2 and Ball State pitcher Angelina Russo through a wild pitch out of the reach of the catcher, allowing Mills to dive across the plate with the winning run.
"In order for us to be a great team," Salmon said, "we have to continue to score with two outs and we have to put together two-out rallies and that's where you're seeing that transition and you're seeing this team grow and continue to get 1 percent better every day.
"That just shows the work that they're putting in is starting to pay off."
Grace Lehto (6-6) went the distance for the win in the opener. She allowed five hits, struck out nine, and walked three. Kaitlyn Bean started the nightcap for CMU and went four innings. Britton pitched four innings and then Faith Howe (1-1) pitched the ninth for the victory.
The Chippewas committed just one error on the day.
"I think our whole pitching staff gave us the opportunity to win against a really good offensive team and that's all we can ask for," Salmon said.
Britton had four hits in six at-bats and drove in five runs. Her homer was her sixth of the season.
"Huge impact on this game," Salmon said of Britton. "For someone who pitches and hits, they kind of carry it a little bit heavier on their shoulders.
"For her to be in that situation at the end, we knew she was going to come through. She had hit Russo really well in game one. She had a great mindset and approach at the plate. She executed."
Tolmie finished with four hits including two doubles to lead CMU's nine-hit attack in game two. The Chippewas collected eight hits in the opener, two each by Stein, Coberley and Britton.
But Friday's Mid-American Conference doubleheader sweep at Margo Jonker Stadium was one heck of an early season boost for Central Michigan.
The Chippewas posted a pair of dramatic walk-off victories over Ball State, 4-3 and 9-8, in improving to 13-12, 4-1 MAC. The teams are scheduled to close the series on Saturday (1 p.m.). Ball State is 7-18, 0-2.
"We built our nonconference schedule to be battle tested and this is where it's paying off," said CMU coach McCall Salmon, whose team is 6-3 in games decided by two runs or less. "We've had these opportunities before, and we've seen success and we haven't seen success and we weren't going to quit.
"Having the advantage of being home and having the bats in our hands at the end was key."
Caitlyn Britton hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Chippewas in the opener, and then Samantha Mills raced home from third base on a wild pitch to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth in the nightcap.
"I think it sets the tone for us in MAC play," said Salmon, who harkened back to last season when the Chippewas started 2-11 in league play, including a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cardinals. "For us to get to the next level and to compete for MAC championships, we've got to beat these teams consistently. To do it at the end of March is setting us up in the right direction."
Britton's game-winning sacrifice fly in the opener came after Michaleigh Vallimont reached on an error and then took second on a Skylar Coberley bunt single. Another error – Ball State committed six on the day – moved Vallimont to third and then Britton blasted a fly ball to center field. Vallimont slid home ahead of the tag.
The Chippewas scored three runs in the first inning and held that 3-0 lead until the seventh, when BSU's Faith Hensley hit a two-out, three-run homer to tie it.
The nightcap followed a similar script and played out in an even more dramatic fashion.
The Chippewas led, 6-0, through two innings before the Cardinals chipped away and eventually tied the game, 7-7, with two runs in the top of the seventh.
The Cardinals went up, 8-7, with a run in the top of the ninth. It was the only time CMU trailed throughout the entire doubleheader.
Britton, a sophomore, led off the bottom of the ninth with the game-tying homer to straight-away center.
With two out and none on, Mills slapped a 2-2 pitch to the opposite field for a single, and then Abbey Tolmie followed with another opposite field single on a full-count pitch. That sent Mills to third.
Shannon Stein then worked the count to 2-2 and Ball State pitcher Angelina Russo through a wild pitch out of the reach of the catcher, allowing Mills to dive across the plate with the winning run.
"In order for us to be a great team," Salmon said, "we have to continue to score with two outs and we have to put together two-out rallies and that's where you're seeing that transition and you're seeing this team grow and continue to get 1 percent better every day.
"That just shows the work that they're putting in is starting to pay off."
Grace Lehto (6-6) went the distance for the win in the opener. She allowed five hits, struck out nine, and walked three. Kaitlyn Bean started the nightcap for CMU and went four innings. Britton pitched four innings and then Faith Howe (1-1) pitched the ninth for the victory.
The Chippewas committed just one error on the day.
"I think our whole pitching staff gave us the opportunity to win against a really good offensive team and that's all we can ask for," Salmon said.
Britton had four hits in six at-bats and drove in five runs. Her homer was her sixth of the season.
"Huge impact on this game," Salmon said of Britton. "For someone who pitches and hits, they kind of carry it a little bit heavier on their shoulders.
"For her to be in that situation at the end, we knew she was going to come through. She had hit Russo really well in game one. She had a great mindset and approach at the plate. She executed."
Tolmie finished with four hits including two doubles to lead CMU's nine-hit attack in game two. The Chippewas collected eight hits in the opener, two each by Stein, Coberley and Britton.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lehto, Grace (6-6)
L: EUBANK, Emma (1-3)
Batting:
HR: HENSLEY, Faith 1
RBI: HENSLEY, Faith 3
SH: WYNN, Haley 1 ; ROSS, Remington 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HENSLEY, Faith 1 ; DANIEL, Amaia 1 ; DUKEMAN, Hannah 1
SB: ROSS, Remington 2
Batting:
2B: Stein, Shannon 1 ; Britton, Caitlyn 1
RBI: Coberley, Skylar 2 ; Britton, Caitlyn 2
SH: Springer, Maddie 1
SF: Britton, Caitlyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tolmie, Abbey 1 ; Stein, Shannon 1 ; Vallimont, Michaleigh 1 ; Coberley, Skylar 1
HBP: Stein, Shannon 1 ; Mills, Samantha 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballP/UTL
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/OF
/ SoftballP/IF
/ SoftballCF/1B/P
/ Softball
OF/UTL
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