Softball Hosts Oakland, Heads to Detroit In Mid-Week Action

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LAST NON-CONFERENCE ACTION OF THE SEASON: The Eagles (17-29) wrap up non-conference play this week, first hosting Oakland for a doubleheader at Varsity Field before heading to Detroit to take on the Titans in a twinbill. The Eagles are 12-16 in non-league action, hitting .283 with five players over .300. Oakland (19-27) and Detroit (7-33) square off against each other, April 27, before playing EMU.

GRIZZLY REPORT: The Eagles and Grizzlies were slated for a doubleheader earlier this season, April 7, but was postponed when Ypsilanti was hit with a few inches of snow. Oakland is coming off two losses to No. 12 Ohio State, 11-3, 13-5, this past weekend. OU is led at the plate by Julie Owen, who is hitting .385 with four home runs and 27 RBI while Anne Cicchini is hitting .338 with 17 stolen bases in 18 attempts. Jessica Granger (14-13) anchors the pitching staff with a 2.61 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 174.1 innings pitched. The two teams split a doubleheader at Oakland last season, with the Eagles winning the first contest, 2-0, before falling in the nightcap, 7-5 (April 30, 2008).

A LOOK AT THE TITANS: Detroit and EMU are squaring off for the first time since the 2006 season, with the Eagles holding a commanding 37-6 advantage in the all-time series. The Titans (7-33) were idle this past weekend when rainy conditions canceled their scheduled series at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Ellen Sinclair leads the offensive attack for Detroit, hitting .427 with 23 RBI. Kristin Sclater is second on the team with 22 RBI and a team-leading four home runs. UDM has a 5.40 team ERA with two players splitting the work. Jill Perry is leading the way with a 5.23 ERA and 3-15 record while Kara Spinelli (3-17) has a 5.74 ERA.

MAC REWIND: The Eagles went 1-3 over the weekend, dropping a doubleheader to Western Michigan (5-10, 2-3) and the first game to Northern Illinois (4-5) before rallying to win the final game of the weekend, 9-8 against the Huskies. Trailing 8-7 entering the final inning on Sunday, the Eagles put two runs on the board off a Jenny Scherer single and a Lauren Delapaz fielder's choice to take a 9-8 lead. After allowing the lead NIU batter to reach base, pitcher Michelle Hletko and the Eagles retired the next three batters to earn the come-from-behind win.

WELCOME HOME: Illinois native Michelle Hletko came up big in the Eagles' 9-8 win over NIU. Hletko pitched 4.1 innings of relief to pick up the win, while going 2-for-2 at the plate and knocking in the first run of her career against the Huskies.

CARO HITS DOUBLE DIGITS: For the first time in her career, sophomore Jaclyn Caro hit double digits in strikeouts. In a 4-5, nine-inning loss at Northern Illinois, Caro fanned 10 batters to establish a new career high. Her previous mark was seven, which she accomplished four times.

TOLLIVER COMING ON AT THE END: After hitting just .172 with three doubles and six RBI through the first 37 games of the season, freshman first baseman Kaylee Tolliver has come on strong at the end. In the last eight games, the freshman is batting .500 with two doubles and two home runs to go along with nine RBI and a .808 slugging percentage. Her recent hot streak has brought her average up to .248 and she is now tied for fourth on the team with 15 RBI.

KNOCK CANCER OUT OF THE PARK A HUGE SUCCESS: The Eagles raised almost $4,000 in an effort to “Knock Cancer Out of the Park” this past weekend against Buffalo. In a home run derby following the game, Kaylee Tolliver (10) and Heather Han (9) led the way for the Green and White, while head coach Karen Baird, Jenny Scherer and McKenna Russ all knocked seven out of the park. The Eagles exceeded their goal for the year and will be raising their goal for next year while adding some more events in the fall. The team will continue to sell bracelets ($5) and t-shirts ($10) for the remainder of the season.

PRESIDENT PITCH, TAKE TWO: EMU President Sue Martin was scheduled to throw out the first pitch, April 7, when the Eagles were supposed to host Oakland. Due to a snowfall that left about four inches of snow in the Ypsilanti area, the game was postponed. President Martin will now throw out the first pitch Sunday, May 3, when the Eagles wrap up the regular season against Bowling Green.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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