Bulls softball goes 1-2 in three-game series against Central Michigan

Over the weekend, Buffalo softball (21-27, 8-13 MAC) played an in-conference three-game series against the Central Michigan Chippewas (22-18, 13-7 MAC) at Nan Harvey Field, where after being tied up at 1-1, they lost the final game 5-2. 

The Bulls first game of the series took place on Friday, where the Chippewas went up three runs in the first inning. The Bulls put their first points on the board in the bottom of the third inning, when junior outfielder Reagan Terwilliger tripled to the center bringing in two runs. In the same inning, sophomore outfielder Nicole Allen would follow Terwilliger with an RBI double, bringing in one more run and closing the deficit to just two runs.

In the next inning, the Bulls would take the lead with a four-run inning. During the fourth inning, sophomore catcher and utility outfielder Bella Smithson hit a solo home run with the other runs being scored on singles from Terwilliger and Allen. Ultimately, the Chippewas 10-run sixth inning would seal the Bulls fate for the first game, losing 16-7. 

The second game of the double header is where the Bulls tied up the series 1-1. After being down by five in the second inning, junior third baseman Bri Delaney smashed a ball over the fence, bringing herself and a teammate home. In the fifth inning, senior first baseman Abbey Nagel hit a grand slam, and four Bulls scored at once, tying the game at eight. In the sixth inning, Smithson produced a hit that would secure the 10-8 win for the Bulls and marked what would be the final runs of the day. 

Saturday saw higher than average weather and attendance on “youth day,” where hundreds of fans gathered to watch the final game of the tied series. In the bottom of the first inning, Terwilliger opened the scoring for the day with a triple, coming home on the next play from Allen to take the 1-0 lead. The third inning marked the Bulls final points of the series, when sophomore outfielder Tabitha von Kolen stole second base and scored on a hit from Delaney. The Chippewas would put up four more points after the third inning to defeat the Bulls 5-2, winning the series 2-1. 

With just two more in-conference series match ups, the Bulls are still on the hunt for a spot in the Mid-American Conference championships beginning on May 6 in Akron, OH. 

Ciah Courtney is the senior sports editor and can be reached at ciah.courtney@ubspectrum.com