Eastern Michigan University women’s softball team will play its first game of the season at 1 p.m. Friday at Varsity Field when it takes on Northern Illinois University in a doubleheader.
The Eagles (14-18, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) have hit their stride of late, winning five of their last six contests, with strong hitting, consistent defense and confident pitching.
“Our team is playing very relaxed right now,” Coach Karen Baird said. “We have found our lineup defensively. The defense doesn’t feel much pressure, either.”
The Eagles have scored 50 runs during the course of the six-game span and have allowed 21.
“Hitting always resolves problems,” Baird said. “Our team has found their stroke right now, which is great. Pitchers know (we) can score.”
Junior pitcher Jenna Ignowski continued her strong season and increased her win-loss record to 8-5 during the span.
The biggest story, however, was the improved play of freshman pitcher Lindsay Rich. The freshman was named the MAC West pitcher of the week after recording three wins in seven appearances and maintaining a 2.52 earned run average.
Northern Illinois (13-19, 1-3 MAC) will travel to Ypsilanti and look to get past some of its recent troubles. The Huskies have lost nine of their last 10 contests and are 1-7 on the road this season.
The NIU bats have been relatively successful this season, with sophomore infielder Stephanie Tofft leading the way with a .434 batting average, three homeruns and 26 RBI.
Sophomore infielder Shelby Miller has provided the power for the Huskies, hitting with a .358 average, eight homeruns and 27 RBI.
NIU has relied on freshman pitcher Megan Dortch to lead the way for the pitching rotation, and she’s struggled so far this season, allowing 3.31 runs per game and recording a 9-11 win-loss ratio.
Following the doubleheader against NIU, the Eagles will stay at home to face Western Michigan University at Varsity Field on Saturday and Sunday. The games are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
Western Michigan (13-10, 2-0 MAC) will look to continue its recent success with more strong pitching performances.
The Broncos have allowed 14 runs since March 17, a span of eight games.
Strong performances by senior pitcher Meredith Whitney (9-6, 3.00 ERA) and freshman pitcher Becca Shemberger (4-4, 2.82 ERA) have led to WMU’s success while the bats and defense have done just enough to succeed.
The Eagles are prepared to face a tough WMU team, and senior infielder Jessica Richards will have to continue the strong play if the Eagles hope to sweep the two-game series.
Richards, a first-team All-MAC selection, is hitting .333 and has stolen 22 bases on 27 attempts.
The Eagles will also look for junior outfielder Katy Blaharski to continue her success, as the junior is leading the team with a .385 average. Blaharski has also added 10 stolen bases and 11 RBI.
All four upcoming contests will have a significant impact on the MAC standings.
“We have all three components going right now,” Baird said. “We are very excited for conference play to begin.”
