Central Michigan University Athletics
Friday, April 12
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
3:00 PM
Central Michigan University
8-23, 5-5
9
vs
0
Buffalo
12-21, 4-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
Buffalo
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
3
Central Michigan
6
0
1
0
0
2
9
4
0
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
Sleeman Walks it off as Big First Inning Propels Softball to 9-0 Victory Over Buffalo
4/12/2024 7:41:00 PM | Softball
The Chippewas opened the series with Buffalo with a 9-0 victory in run-rule fashion cutting the game to six innings.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A huge first inning for the Central Michigan Softball team opened the series against MAC foe Buffalo. The Chippewas move to 8-24 on the season and even out at 5-5 in conference play. The Bulls fall to 12-21 overall and 4-8 in the MAC.
The first six runs for CMU came on just one hit. In the first inning, Grace Lehto started the game with a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout and two routine ground outs to Maddie Springer at shortstop.
Central Michigan was ready to cross the plate in their offensive half of the inning – that's for sure. Abbey Tolmie led the game off with a five-pitch walk, Carly Sleeman was hit by a pitch and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Michaleigh Vallimont recorded the only hit in the inning with a single to left field, scoring A. Tolmie and Sleeman. The Chippewas lead 2-0 with two outs.
Allyssa Hollo was hit by a pitch, Keira Tolmie walked, brining Maddie Springer to the dish. Springer reached on an error by the shortstop and Hollo and Vallimont scored, 4-0 CMU.
Emma Lotus, the ninth batter for the Chippewas in the inning, reached on a catcher's interference and loaded the bases once again with two outs. Abbey Tolmie took her second plate appearance of the inning and reached on an error by the second baseman. Springer and K. Tolmie scored, 6-0 Chippewas at the end of the first inning.
The second inning was quiet for both sides and the Chippewas retired the Bulls in order, highlighted by a Skylar Coberley double play that ended the inning. CMU also went down in order with two strikeouts in the second.
Another 1-2-3 inning for Lehto and the defense charted two more strikeouts for Lehto and another scoreless frame for the Bulls. The Chippewas seventh run came in the third when Keira Tolmie doubled off the right field wall, scoring Hollo who drew her second walk of the day.
Quiet fourth, fifth and sixth innings on offense for the Bulls led CMU to the opportunity to walk it off in the sixth inning.
Freshman Carly Sleeman accepted the challenge when she ripped her team-leading 12th double of the season to score Emma Lotus and Abbey Tolmie, CMU wins 9-0 in six innings.
The run-rule victory is the first for the Chippewas in the 2024 season. CMU Head Coach, McCall Salmon said, "Starting off the series with a win is huge for us. Any time you can jump on a team in a series you are able to set your confidence level. We know that Buffalo's bats can take off at any time, so the more runs for us, the better!"
Michaleigh Vallimont snapped a 7-game hitting drought when she singled in the first inning to get the Chippewas rolling. "I think Michaleigh's hit was great. That hit with two outs really set the tone and started our two-out rally. Those are areas and game changers for us, ways we can see success."
Grace Lehto grabbed her fourth win of the season, tying a season high with seven strike outs. The complete game for Lehto marked her sixth of the 2024 season and 57th in her Chippewa tenure. "Today shows that Grace is never satisfied. She has a competitive attitude, and we know she is going to make adjustments. It was just a matter of her settling in and trusting some things – that is just the nature of our sport."
The only other MAC series where the Chippewas have won the first game was at Ohio, where they ultimately dropped the final two games. Coach McCall believes that her team competed well in game one, but has to stay focused and on that same track for the rest of the series. "Going into tomorrow we have to play with the same intent. We need to take advantage of freebies, but also know that any time we step onto the field, nothing is given to us. Maintaining the focus, working to win every inning, and hopefully come away with a couple more wins tomorrow."
Central Michigan Softball hosted their first ever Autism Acceptance game in the Friday game. A special first pitch ceremony, National Anthem performance and more highlighted the day beyond the victory. "It is such a unique event, being able to have everyone here today. Having the ability to show that CMU Softball is a welcoming and inviting environment."
The Chippewas and Bulls will close out the Mid-American Conference battle with a double-header on Saturday when they celebrate Community Day. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m at Margo Jonker Stadium.
For the latest news and updates on CMU Softball, follow the team on X (@cmusoftball) and Instagram (@cmichsoftball).
The first six runs for CMU came on just one hit. In the first inning, Grace Lehto started the game with a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout and two routine ground outs to Maddie Springer at shortstop.
Central Michigan was ready to cross the plate in their offensive half of the inning – that's for sure. Abbey Tolmie led the game off with a five-pitch walk, Carly Sleeman was hit by a pitch and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Michaleigh Vallimont recorded the only hit in the inning with a single to left field, scoring A. Tolmie and Sleeman. The Chippewas lead 2-0 with two outs.
Allyssa Hollo was hit by a pitch, Keira Tolmie walked, brining Maddie Springer to the dish. Springer reached on an error by the shortstop and Hollo and Vallimont scored, 4-0 CMU.
Emma Lotus, the ninth batter for the Chippewas in the inning, reached on a catcher's interference and loaded the bases once again with two outs. Abbey Tolmie took her second plate appearance of the inning and reached on an error by the second baseman. Springer and K. Tolmie scored, 6-0 Chippewas at the end of the first inning.
The second inning was quiet for both sides and the Chippewas retired the Bulls in order, highlighted by a Skylar Coberley double play that ended the inning. CMU also went down in order with two strikeouts in the second.
Another 1-2-3 inning for Lehto and the defense charted two more strikeouts for Lehto and another scoreless frame for the Bulls. The Chippewas seventh run came in the third when Keira Tolmie doubled off the right field wall, scoring Hollo who drew her second walk of the day.
Quiet fourth, fifth and sixth innings on offense for the Bulls led CMU to the opportunity to walk it off in the sixth inning.
Freshman Carly Sleeman accepted the challenge when she ripped her team-leading 12th double of the season to score Emma Lotus and Abbey Tolmie, CMU wins 9-0 in six innings.
The run-rule victory is the first for the Chippewas in the 2024 season. CMU Head Coach, McCall Salmon said, "Starting off the series with a win is huge for us. Any time you can jump on a team in a series you are able to set your confidence level. We know that Buffalo's bats can take off at any time, so the more runs for us, the better!"
Michaleigh Vallimont snapped a 7-game hitting drought when she singled in the first inning to get the Chippewas rolling. "I think Michaleigh's hit was great. That hit with two outs really set the tone and started our two-out rally. Those are areas and game changers for us, ways we can see success."
Grace Lehto grabbed her fourth win of the season, tying a season high with seven strike outs. The complete game for Lehto marked her sixth of the 2024 season and 57th in her Chippewa tenure. "Today shows that Grace is never satisfied. She has a competitive attitude, and we know she is going to make adjustments. It was just a matter of her settling in and trusting some things – that is just the nature of our sport."
The only other MAC series where the Chippewas have won the first game was at Ohio, where they ultimately dropped the final two games. Coach McCall believes that her team competed well in game one, but has to stay focused and on that same track for the rest of the series. "Going into tomorrow we have to play with the same intent. We need to take advantage of freebies, but also know that any time we step onto the field, nothing is given to us. Maintaining the focus, working to win every inning, and hopefully come away with a couple more wins tomorrow."
Central Michigan Softball hosted their first ever Autism Acceptance game in the Friday game. A special first pitch ceremony, National Anthem performance and more highlighted the day beyond the victory. "It is such a unique event, being able to have everyone here today. Having the ability to show that CMU Softball is a welcoming and inviting environment."
The Chippewas and Bulls will close out the Mid-American Conference battle with a double-header on Saturday when they celebrate Community Day. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m at Margo Jonker Stadium.
For the latest news and updates on CMU Softball, follow the team on X (@cmusoftball) and Instagram (@cmichsoftball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lehto, Grace (4-13)
L: Lucyshyn, Alexis (8-9)
Batting:
2B: Kelly, Sara 1
Batting:
2B: Sleeman, Carly 1 ; Tolmie, Keira 1
RBI: Tolmie, Abbey 2 ; Sleeman, Carly 2 ; Vallimont, Michaleigh 2 ; Tolmie, Keira 1 ; Springer, Maddie 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Tolmie, Abbey 2 ; Sleeman, Carly 1 ; Vallimont, Michaleigh 1 ; Hollo, Allyssa 2 ; Tolmie, Keira 1 ; Springer, Maddie 1 ; Lotus, Emma 1
SB: Tolmie, Abbey 2 ; Lotus, Emma 1
HBP: Sleeman, Carly 1 ; Hollo, Allyssa 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
IF/UTL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballC/UTL
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballC/UTL
/ SoftballOF
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