Eagles Notch First MAC Victory

Box Score

TOLEDO, Ohio – After dropping five of the last six contests, the Eastern Michigan University softball team responded in a big way, defeating Toledo, 11-1 in five innings, here today, April 12, at Scott Park. EMU exploded for seven runs in the third inning en route to picking up its first Mid-American Conference victory of the year.

Freshman pitcher Jaclyn Caro (Chino, Calif.-St. Lucy’s Priory) picked up the win on the mound for the Eagles, improving her record to 5-9 and winning the first conference game of her career. Caro pitched a complete game, going 5.0 innings while giving up five hits and no earned runs. She notched seven strikeouts on the afternoon, matching her career high, set earlier this season against San Diego (Feb. 27).

Offensively, EMU reached double figures in runs for the fifth time this season. The Eagles had 13 hits in the game, with all but two batters recording a hit. Senior Lindsay Ritz (Garden City, Mich.-Garden City) tied a career high with four RBI, going 2-for-3 with two singles. Senior Jessica Grant (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) was 1-for-3 with a home run, the first of her career. In addition to Ritz, four other Eagles had multiple-hit games.

EMU got on the board first, off Grant’s home run in the second inning. The Rockets answered in the bottom half of the inning, knotting the game at one.

The third inning was the pivotal inning for the Eagles, as they scored seven runs on five hits. Senior Ashley Strauss (Trenton, Mich.-Trenton) started the scoring, reaching on a fielder’s choice and plating one run. Sophomore outfielder Jenny Scherer (Stow, Ohio-Stow-Munroe) scored the next run for the Green and White when the second baseman committed an error.

The scoring continued for EMU when freshman Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) hit a single to left with the bases loaded to tack on another run. Ritz was the next batter, hitting a single of her own to score two more runs for the Eagles. Sophomore Jessica Patterson (Ionia, Mich.-Ionia), who appeared earlier in the inning as a pinch runner, hit a two-run double to put EMU up 8-1 after three innings.

Eastern added another two runs in the fourth inning, with Ritz hitting another two-run single. Freshman Lauren Delapaz (Plymouth, Mich.-Canton) knocked in a run in the fifth inning, giving the Eagles an 11-1 win over the MAC West opponent.

The Eagles and Rockets will conclude their weekend series tomorrow, April 13, with the game starting at 1 p.m. Following tomorrow’s game, EMU will then travel down Washtenaw Ave. to take on the Wolverines of Michigan, Wednesday, April 16. First pitch of that contest is set for 6 p.m.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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