Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, April 30
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
1 p.m.
Central Michigan University
23-21, 0
9
vs
0
Buffalo
18-22, 0
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Buffalo
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
3
Central Michigan
2
0
3
4
0
9
11
0
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Softball Sweeps, Wins Series With Buffalo And Remains In Second Place In MAC
4/30/2022 6:51:00 PM | Softball
Stein ties program record with 16th home run of the season
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Hot bats, solid pitching. A good combination for the Central Michigan softball team.
The Chippewas collected 25 hits including a season-high 14 in the nightcap and Kaitlyn Bean and Grace Lehto were outstanding in the circle on Saturday as CMU swept a Mid-American Conference doubleheader from Buffalo at Margo Jonker Stadium.
Shannon Stein hit her 16th homer of the season as the Chippewas won the opener, 9-0, and then she had three hits including a double as CMU took the nightcap, 9-3.
CMU improved to 24-22, 15-8 MAC. The Chippewas are in second place with six conference games remaining. They go to Bowling Green for a three-game set beginning on Tuesday, May 3, and then close the regular season at home with a three-game series against first-place Miami (Ohio) next weekend.
Saturday's doubleheader sweep gave the Chippewas the series win after they had dropped Friday's opener to the Bulls, 7-5.
"(Friday) the difference was (Buffalo's) production with two outs and we left way too many runners on base and didn't produce with two outs," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "Today we were able to flip the script a little bit and I was impressed with our two-out production. Especially in that first game, I thought we executed well, getting bunts down, moving runners over and getting ourselves in position to score runs and that helped set the tone."
The Chippewas collected 35 hits in the series.
"Confident hitters are consistent hitters, and everyone is really confident at the plate right now and seeing the ball," Salmon said. "If they don't get it done, they know the person behind them is going to and that says a lot for the mentality. They've put in the time all year long and this is where it's supposed to show."
Stein's homer ties Molly Coldren (2012) for the most in a season in program history and it was the Chippewas' 47th of the season. The program record for homers in a season is 48 set in 2014. Stein ranks third in program history with 33 career round-trippers. Coldren, who played from 2009-12, leads with 44, while Katelyn Rentschler (2013-16) is second with 35.
"It's exciting," Salmon said. "(Stein is) going to go down in the Central Michigan record book as one of the best power hitters that's ever come through this program, whether she hits another one or not. Just really proud of her and what she's doing. The team loves watching her do it too. We're her biggest fans."
Stein's homer came in the first inning of game one was a two-run shot, giving CMU a 2-0 lead. The Chippewas added three runs in the third, highlighted by Emily Bracamonte's two-run double. They tacked on four more in the fourth on a two-run double by Skylar Coberley, and RBI double by Kelsey Alexander, and a run-scoring single by Michaleigh Vallimont.
The game was called after 4 ½ innings on the run rule.
Bean (7-9), a junior right-hander, was superb in fashioning a two-hitter. She struck out five and walked just one.
"One of the best performances she's had in about a month," Salmon said. "The ball was moving, she was hitting her spots, and it was just nice to see her comfortable and confident and that really showed in how well she performed."
Lehto was solid in the circle in the nightcap. She struck out eight, walked three, and surrendered six hits in going the distance.
"If we can get that (pitching) consistently, series to series, we're going to continue to win games and they know that," Salmon said. "I'm excited to see us move into Bowling Green on Tuesday."
The Chippewas scored four runs in the second inning to seize a 4-2 lead in the nightcap, and then tacked on five runs in the fifth.
Stein finished with three hits, while Abbey Tolmie, Vallimont and Bracamonte had two each. Sammi Mills, Stein and Tolmie drove in two runs apiece.
The Chippewas collected 25 hits including a season-high 14 in the nightcap and Kaitlyn Bean and Grace Lehto were outstanding in the circle on Saturday as CMU swept a Mid-American Conference doubleheader from Buffalo at Margo Jonker Stadium.
Shannon Stein hit her 16th homer of the season as the Chippewas won the opener, 9-0, and then she had three hits including a double as CMU took the nightcap, 9-3.
CMU improved to 24-22, 15-8 MAC. The Chippewas are in second place with six conference games remaining. They go to Bowling Green for a three-game set beginning on Tuesday, May 3, and then close the regular season at home with a three-game series against first-place Miami (Ohio) next weekend.
Saturday's doubleheader sweep gave the Chippewas the series win after they had dropped Friday's opener to the Bulls, 7-5.
"(Friday) the difference was (Buffalo's) production with two outs and we left way too many runners on base and didn't produce with two outs," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "Today we were able to flip the script a little bit and I was impressed with our two-out production. Especially in that first game, I thought we executed well, getting bunts down, moving runners over and getting ourselves in position to score runs and that helped set the tone."
The Chippewas collected 35 hits in the series.
"Confident hitters are consistent hitters, and everyone is really confident at the plate right now and seeing the ball," Salmon said. "If they don't get it done, they know the person behind them is going to and that says a lot for the mentality. They've put in the time all year long and this is where it's supposed to show."
Stein's homer ties Molly Coldren (2012) for the most in a season in program history and it was the Chippewas' 47th of the season. The program record for homers in a season is 48 set in 2014. Stein ranks third in program history with 33 career round-trippers. Coldren, who played from 2009-12, leads with 44, while Katelyn Rentschler (2013-16) is second with 35.
"It's exciting," Salmon said. "(Stein is) going to go down in the Central Michigan record book as one of the best power hitters that's ever come through this program, whether she hits another one or not. Just really proud of her and what she's doing. The team loves watching her do it too. We're her biggest fans."
Stein's homer came in the first inning of game one was a two-run shot, giving CMU a 2-0 lead. The Chippewas added three runs in the third, highlighted by Emily Bracamonte's two-run double. They tacked on four more in the fourth on a two-run double by Skylar Coberley, and RBI double by Kelsey Alexander, and a run-scoring single by Michaleigh Vallimont.
The game was called after 4 ½ innings on the run rule.
Bean (7-9), a junior right-hander, was superb in fashioning a two-hitter. She struck out five and walked just one.
"One of the best performances she's had in about a month," Salmon said. "The ball was moving, she was hitting her spots, and it was just nice to see her comfortable and confident and that really showed in how well she performed."
Lehto was solid in the circle in the nightcap. She struck out eight, walked three, and surrendered six hits in going the distance.
"If we can get that (pitching) consistently, series to series, we're going to continue to win games and they know that," Salmon said. "I'm excited to see us move into Bowling Green on Tuesday."
The Chippewas scored four runs in the second inning to seize a 4-2 lead in the nightcap, and then tacked on five runs in the fifth.
Stein finished with three hits, while Abbey Tolmie, Vallimont and Bracamonte had two each. Sammi Mills, Stein and Tolmie drove in two runs apiece.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bean, Kaitlyn (7-9)
L: TARANTINO, Julia (0-0)
Batting:
2B: CASTRO, Brianna 1
Base Running:
CS: STEFFAN, Rachel 1
Batting:
2B: Coberley, Skylar 1 ; Alexander, Kelsey 1 ; Bracamonte, Emily 1
HR: Stein, Shannon 1
RBI: Stein, Shannon 2 ; Vallimont, Michaleigh 1 ; Coberley, Skylar 2 ; Alexander, Kelsey 1 ; Bracamonte, Emily 2
SH: Coberley, Skylar 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tolmie, Abbey 2 ; Stein, Shannon 1 ; Vallimont, Michaleigh 1 ; Nuss, Tessa 1 ; Coberley, Skylar 2 ; Alexander, Kelsey 1 ; Hollo, Allyssa 1
CS: Britton, Caitlyn 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
C/UTL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballP/IF
/ SoftballCF/1B/P
/ SoftballOF/UTL
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