Dramatic And Satisfying

Saturday, May 7

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

25-23, 16-10

Miami (Ohio)

35-14-1, 23-4

Miami (Ohio)

Central Michigan

CMU players rush out of the dugout to greet Caitlyn Britton (13) after Britton delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly in game two on Saturday at Margo Jonker Stadium.

Photo by: Hayley Steffy

5/7/2022 8:54:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

Softball sweeps league-leading Miami, clinches MAC Tournament berth

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A sweep of the first-place team, and a Mid-American Conference Tournament berth in their back pockets.

All good, all the way around, for the Central Michigan softball team on Saturday at Margo Jonker Stadium.

The Chippewas used the big inning in the opener then got a walk-off win in the eight-inning nightcap to complete a 5-3, 4-3 sweep of league-leading Miami (Ohio) in a MAC doubleheader. The game-one win clinched a league-tournament berth for CMU, which is 26-23 and in second place in the MAC at 17-10.

The RedHawks, who had already wrapped up their second straight MAC regular season title, are 35-15-1, 23-5. They will host the conference tournament next week.

The Chippewas and Miami are scheduled to complete the series on Sunday (noon).

"I think it's a huge confidence builder, No. 1," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "We want to play our best softball in May and for that to show today … Not only get one win, but get two, and now we can be the first team to sweep (Miami) in a series. It shows why we're (near) the top of the MAC, why we have the opportunity to compete for a championship next week and earn a (NCAA) regional berth.

"It's exciting. This team deserves it."

Caitlyn Britton brought in the winning run to cap a two-run eighth inning in the nightcap, and the Chippewas scored all five of their runs in the second inning of the opener.

Grace Lehto (15-11) struck out five and walked one for the win in game one, and Britton (1-1) picked up the win in relief of Kaitlyn Bean in game two. Bean walked one and struck out two over seven innings.

"Kaitlyn Bean and Grace Lehto threw two phenomenal games against the best offense in the conference and gave us an opportunity to win," Salmon said. "We do that, good things are going to happen, and that resulted in two wins today."

Lehto surrendered eight hits in the opener, while Bean allowed nine in game two. Miami stranded 19 baserunners.

"I think it's just limiting the big innings, limiting the back-to-back hits and not giving up extra base hits," Salmon said. "Yeah, they gave up some hits, but they scattered them."

Shannon Stein collected three hits to lead CMU's nine-hit attack in game one. Abbey Tolmie had three as the Chippewas collected eight in the nightcap.

Maddie Springer gave CMU a 1-0 lead in the opener with an infield RBI single in the second inning. Samantha Mills followed with a single and an error allowed two more runs to score. Stein followed with a run-scoring double, and then Michaleigh Vallimont tripled in a run.

Stein, who had five hits including two doubles on the day, raised her season doubles total to 18, tying the program record set by Becky Manson in 2002.

The Chippewas seized a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the sixth inning of the nightcap when Tolmie and Stein hit back-to-back singles and moved up on a bunt. Pinch runner Tailynn Knapp scored on a passed ball and Tolmie scored on an error.

Miami tied it with two runs in the seventh off Bean and then went ahead with an unearned run off Britton in the eighth.

That set the stage for CMU's dramatics in the bottom half of the frame.

Tolmie singled leading off the inning and then scored on Stein's record-tying double, tying it 3-3. Vallimont singled and Stein was thrown out in a close play at the plate for the first out of the inning. Skylar Coberley then singled, sending Vallimont to third. Vallimont scored on Britton's sacrifice fly to the warning track in left-center field.

"Overall, the entire day, every single person, from the top down did exactly what we needed of them," Salmon said. "Whether it was their energy in the dugout, execution on defense, execution at the plate."