Saturday's Softball Results
Saturday's Softball Scoreboard
Akron 3, Ohio 2
Western MIchigan 8, Buffalo 5
Miami 1, Ball State 0
Central Michigan 5, Bowling Green 2
Toledo 18, Eastern Michigan 8
Kent State 11, Northern Illinois 5
Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications
Akron 3, Ohio 2
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The University of Akron softball team picked up a 3-2 win at Ohio in Mid-American Conference action on Saturday afternoon at the Ohio Softball Field.
The Zips improved to 23-24 overall and 8-10 in MAC play, while the Bobcats fell to 15-29 overall and 7-10 in the league.
"We hit the ball well today," head coach Julie Jones said. "We had a good week of practice leading into this weekend as we are looking to gain momentum heading into the tournament."
In the top of the second, Akron jumped on the scoreboard with one run. Sophomore outfielder Savannah Fruin (Del Ray Beach, Fla.) singled to center, scoring senior shortstop Chelsea Wildey (Oviedo, Fla.), who reached on a single to left and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by senior outfielder Taryn Allmon (Grove City, Ohio).
The Bobcats tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second.
The Zips went ahead 2-1 in the top of the fourth as junior catcher McKenzi Rhodes (Marengo, Ohio) hit a sacrifice fly ti right field, scoring Allmon, who reached on a single.
Akron scored the game-winning run in the top of the sixth as freshman outfielder Taylor Kirian (New Riegel, Ohio) walked with bases loaded and two outs, scoring senior outfielder Sara Pearson (Somerville, Ohio), who singled to start the inning.
Rallying in the bottom of the seventh, Ohio's lead-off batter Raven King homered for the Bobcats' final run as the next three batters were retired.
Junior right-hander Erin Seiler (Bowling Green, Ohio) threw a complete game for her 22nd win on the season (22-16 overall, 8-9 MAC). She struck out 12 batters and walked one.
Overall, Akron out-hit Ohio, 10-6. The Bobcats committed one error, while the Zips had none.
Akron and Ohio meet in the final regular-season game on Sunday, May 3, at 1 p.m. at the Ohio Softball Field.
Miami 1, Ball State 0
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University softball team kept is late season momentum going with its fifth straight Mid-American Conference win on Saturday. The RedHawks defeated Ball State, 1-0, in a great pitcher’s duel. Miami improves to 31-21 overall and 13-6 in the MAC. The Cardinals fall to 28-23 overall and 13-5 in the MAC.
Junior pitcher Amber Logemann shut down a Ball State offense that came into the game leading the MAC with a .308 overall batting average. She allowed only four hits the entire game, did not walk anyone and struck out four. The Cardinals biggest threat came in the top of the fourth when they loaded the bases with two outs on a pair of hits and a hit by pitch. Logemann did not panic, as she forced Sammi Cowger into a groundout to short to end the threat.
While BSU pitcher Nicole Steinbach was also strong on Saturday, the RedHawks were able to get to her in the bottom of the third. With senior shortstop Kylie McChesney on first base and one out, senior outfielder Tiyona Marshall reached on an infield single to short, moving McChesney up a base. A fielder’s choice bunt by junior designated player Tanya Busby was able to retire McChesney at third for the second out of the inning. Sophomore second baseman Eryn McCarver then sent a bloop hit down the rightfield line, allowing Marshall to come home and give Miami the 1-0 win.
Marshall finished the game 2-for-3 with one run scored. McCarver was 1-for-3 with one RBI. Whispel had the other hit for the ‘Hawks.
Miami completes the regular season on Sunday when it hosts Ball State at 1 p.m. Prior to the contest, seniors Marshall, McChesney, Remy Edwards, Bree Lipscomb, Megan Mattera and Shanyn McIntyre will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
Western MIchigan 8, Buffalo 5
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y.- Western Michigan freshman pitcher Anissa Sanchez threw 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, helping lead the Bronco softball team past Buffalo 8-5 Saturday.
WMU took a 3-0 lead in the first inning but the Bulls fought back to score five runs off of WMU starting pitcher Allyson Kus in the third. Sanchez came on in relief to finish out the third and allowed only four hits without giving up a walk the rest of the game. With the win she evened her record on the rubber to 5-5.
The Broncos made use of Buffalo miscues in the field, tying the game with two unearned runs in the fourth and regained the lead with another unearned run in the fifth. UB committed five errors in the game.
Junior shortstop Sabrina Gamboa gave WMU two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh, belting a two-run home run to left field. It was her sixth round tripper of the season and the 15th of her career.
Junior second baseman Melissa Palmer picked up two RBIs in the first inning with a two-run double to left center. Sophomore third baseman Kelsea Cichocki also drove in a run with a single up the middle. Cichocki led Western Michigan with three hits in the game, going 3-for-4. WMU had eight hits total as a team.
Redshirt sophomore Bobbi Langlois (7-17) picked up the loss for Buffalo, throwing a complete game.
Western Michigan (21-23, 11-8 MAC) and Buffalo will rematch tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the final game of the regular season. The Broncos have qualified for the 2015 MAC Tournament and will head to Akron, Ohio, May 6-10.
Central Michigan 5, Bowling Green 2
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan Softball team was solid in all facets of the game Saturday, as the Chippewas defeated Bowling Green, 5-2, in a Mid-American Conference game at Margo Jonker Stadium.
CMU is 25-20 and 12-7 in the MAC. Bowling Green is 19-28, 7-14. The teams close the regular season Sunday (1 p.m.) at Margo Jonker Stadium. The Chippewas will then move on to the league tournament in Akron.
"I thought it was a really good game overall and we played well," said CMU coach Margo Jonker, whose team split a league doubleheader with Toledo on Friday. "I think we played well defensively."
Freshman Taylor Weaver (3-3) made the start for the Chippewas, her first since April 14 and the first of career against a MAC opponent. She gave up seven hits and struck out three in going the distance.
Weaver carried a shutout through 6 1/3 innings.
"Weaver hasn't had much time in the circle and I thought she did an amazing job, I'm so happy for her," said Jonker. "She had such a great ball game and really kept them off balance and only in the last inning did they start making good contact against her."
Trista Cox, Kaitlyn Rentschler and Chelsea DeLamielleure, the Chippewas' three, four and five hitters, had two hits apiece. DeLamielleure finished with a season-high three RBI and Rentschler had two.
Rentschler gave CMU a 1-0 lead with a first-inning RBI single, and DeLamielleure delivered a two-out, two-run single in the third to extend the lead to 3-0.
Rentschler had an RBI double in the fifth and DeLamielleure followed with a run-scoring single.
Rentschler, a junior first baseman, is 16-for-30 (.533) with 10 RBI in her last 11 games. DeLamielleure, a junior second baseman, is 13-for-26 (.500) in her last nine games.
Cox, who has had multiple-hit games in seven of CMU's last 16 contests, extended her hitting streak to five straight games and leads the team with a .356 average.
"Well the middle of your lineup are the ones who are supposed to be driving in runs for you," Jonker said. "Right now Rentschler is seeing the ball very well and DeLamielleure is seeing the ball quite well also and both are seeing their confidence go up."
With a spot in the MAC tournament already sewn up, CMU will look to build momentum and secure the best possible seed for the tournament. If the Chippewas beat Bowling Green on Sunday, they will be no worse than the fourth seed.
"We want to finish strong for a lot of reasons," Jonker said. "It's our last home game and the seniors' last time they'll play on this field and there is a lot of emotion there.
"They have given a lot to the game and a lot to this program and put in a lot of hours so you want to finish strong for them, along with entering the MAC tournament on a high note."
Three Chippewa seniors, Kristen Kuhlman, Karly Hansen and Cox, will be honored before Sunday's game.
Toledo 18, Eastern Michigan 8
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University softball team dropped a single Mid-American Conference game to the Rockets of the University of Toledo Saturday, May 2. With an 11-run seventh inning from Toledo, the Eagles hopes of a conference tournament appearance were dashed, falling in an 18-8 decision to UT.
EMU (17-32, 6-13 MAC) broke the single season home runs record with Katy Wyman and Jenn Lucas blasting one apiece to tally the 39th and 40th homers of the 2015 campaign for the Green and White. Wyman laced a home run over the left field fence, while Lucas drove a three-run round-tripper in the bottom of the fifth inning. Along with the two home runs, Abi Clark and Lindsay Rich each had two hits on the day for the Eagles and drove in one run apiece. In the circle, Rich (10-20) suffered the loss after tossing 4.1 innings of relief for Eastern Michigan
For UT, Chandler Rich went 3-for-6 at the plate with six RBI and scoring three times, while Samantha Showalter, Ashley Maynard, Kylie Gross and Ashley Rausch all drove in two runs apiece for the Rockets. After starting the game, and coming back on in relief, Emily Anderson (12-16) earned the win for Toledo, tossing 3.2 innings.
Toledo used a two-out home run from Lemieux to get the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The home run came after two quick outs, including a strikeout from Huntley, while the Green and White used a hit back to first base to get out the inning.
Huntley struggled to find the strike zone in the second inning, loading the bases on three walks with only one out. A slap that hopped through the middle infield brought in two runs for the Rocket, extending its lead to 3-0. A fourth walk loaded the bases and forced Head Coach Melissa Gentile to bring on Rich in relief of Huntley. Rich did her job and got two grounders to get out the inning before any further runs scored.
Eastern Michigan responded to the Rockets' two run in the bottom half of the inning when Rich singled through the left side of the field and Wyman battled through a lengthy at-bat to launch a home run over the left field wall for the Green and White.
Toledo loaded the bases in the top of the third inning and used a slow rolling ball to the shortstop to bring in a run and allow the Rockets to take a 4-2 advantage. The Eagles got out of the inning and used a single from Haley Hostetler and two stolen bases to get 60 ft. from home for Taylor Wagner. The sophomore catcher hit a sharp ball to the shortstop, who made a throwing error, allowing Hostetler to score and Wagner to make her way to second base with the Eagles trailing by one in the third inning.
Eastern knotted the score at 4-4 when Clark ripped a double to the left center field wall, scoring pinch runner Angel Schilke from second base. Rich followed suite with a double of her own, this time to dead center, scoring Clark and giving the Green and White a 5-4 advantage.
The Rockets lit up the scoreboard for the fourth-straight inning when three-straight singles and a stolen base tied the game for the second time in the game. Toledo attempted to swipe a second base, which was successful, before an Eagle throwing error brought in the run and allowed Showalter to advance to third. UT took a two-run lead when a shallow single to left center brought in Showalter from third base for the Midnight Blue and Gold.
With runners on first and second and two outs, Lucas stepped in and lined a home run over the center field wall to give Eastern the 8-7 advantage in the bottom of the fifth.
Toledo used two Eagle miscues and a fielder's choice to load the bases in the seventh inning before a Rice double in the left center gap allowed the Rockets to take a 9-8 lead over the Green and White with no outs. A squeeze play from UT and a slow hit to third scored back-to-back runs, extending the Rocket lead to 11-8 with only one out. A shallow single to right field brought in two more runs for UT as the Eagles continued to struggle to get outs in the inning. Toledo used two more hits, including a grand slam, to bring in five final runs to take a comfortable 18-8 lead into the bottom half of the seventh.
The Eagles could not overcome the deficit, sitting down in order to end the contest.
The Green and White conclude the 2015 regular season Sunday, May 3 when it finishes its two-game series with the Rockets. Game time from Varsity Field is set for 1 p.m. The game against Toledo will also honor Lucas and Rich in a special Senior Day celebration.
Kent State 11, Northern Illinois 5
Box Score
KENT, Ohio - Kent State's offense exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull away from visiting Northern Illinois in an 11-5 victory Saturday afternoon at the Diamond at Dix and clinch the 2015 Mid-American Conference regular season title.
Kent State (37-11, 16-4 MAC) won its eighth consecutive games to capture the program's fifth conference championship.
After scoring only 16 runs over the previous six games, the Golden Flashes' bats broke out for 11 runs on nine hits. The top of the lineup-Kim Kirkpatrick, Dani Ramos and Maddy Grimm-were the catalysts by combining for six hits and eight RBIs.
Grimm added to her record-setting sophomore campaign with a three-run homer to left-center that put Kent State on the board in the bottom of the third inning.
Kent State's pitching staff finally saw its scoreless innings streak come to an end on a solo home run to leadoff the top of the fourth. The Flashes had shutout the opposition for program record 46.2 consecutive innings.
Erika Warren crushed her first home run of the season in the fourth inning to put the Flashes ahead, 5-1.
Northern Illinois used the long ball to get back in the game, trimming the Flashes' led to 5-4 on a two-run homer in the fifth and another solo shot to leadoff the top of the sixth inning.
Kent State's offense came through for its pitching staff that has been wonderful all season by plating six runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Two walks and an error loaded the bases with only one out. Pinch runner Chloe Kesterson then hustled down the third base line and slid into home to beat the NIU catcher making a play on a ball hit just a few feet in front of the plate. Kirkpatrick ripped a double in the left-center gap to bring in two more runs. Ramos followed with a three-run homer to centerfield that put the Flashes a run away from ending the game. A single by Grimm and back-to-back walks reloaded the bases with two outs, but Arika Roush was unable to beat out a close play at first base on a ball hit to the middle of the infield, bringing the inning to an end.
A pair of errors allowed the Huskies to score an unearned run in the seventh.
Emma Johnson (21-5) fanned six batters to earn a win in her ninth consecutive decision. Johnson threw five innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Ronnie Ladines pitched two effective innings in relief to earn her first save of the season. Ladines had three strikeouts and allowed one unearned run on two hits.
Kent State will bring the regular season to a close against Northern Illinois on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Diamond at Dix. The Flashes will honor its four seniors in a Senior Day celebration following the game.
