UT sweeps Western

Rachel Nearhoof

Senior Jessica Lemieux smacks a line drive to the outfield against second place Miami (OH). She leads the Rockets with a .350 batting average.

The University of Toledo softball team got its first road sweep of the season, beating Western Michigan in a three-game series over the weekend.
UT won 3-1 on Friday before taking Saturday’s double header 7-4 and 2-1 on Saturday. The wins put the Rockets at 13-31 (6-1 MAC) on the season.
“I think this weekend was huge,” Head Coach Kristen Butler said. “They (WMU) were number one in the west so that was big. I think right now for our team, it’s do or die so to go in against such a strong team, I think that was huge for our team.”
On Friday, senior Jessica Lemieux got UT on the board in the first inning after she scored on a Western Michigan error. Sophomore Kaitlyn Bergman tacked on another run for Toledo in the second inning with a solo home run.
Sophomore Ashley Rausch added some insurance in the seventh off of a Lemieux double to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Broncos scored a run in the seventh to cut the deficit to 3-1 but failed to produce more. Senior Marla Gooding got the win for the Rockets, allowing no earned runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings.
In game one of the Saturday doubleheader, Lemieux kicked off the scoring again when she hit a triple and stole on a Bronco throwing error to make the score 1-0.
Bergman singled to left field, scoring junior Brittany George to increase the UT lead to 2-0. The Rockets scored two runs to make the score 4-0 in the third following a single from sophomore Samantha Showalter and a double by George.
“It definitely helps for me to go out there and throw strikes,” Gooding said.
Western Michigan answered back in the bottom of the fourth with four runs, tying the game following two singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.
Toledo took back the lead in the fifth inning with a solo home run from George, her fourth of the season. Junior Chandler Rice brought in Lemieux with an RBI single up the middle to extend the lead to 6-4.
Gooding capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly to bring in Kim Frank, making the score 7-4.
In Game 2, Western Michigan struck first with an RBI double to center field.
Toledo responded with one run each in the third and fourth innings with consecutive sacrifice flies to take the lead at 2-1.
Gooding got her third win of the series after pitching 17.3 total innings and striking out five batters.
“We’re fighting to be able to make the MAC tournament,” Butler said. “So I think the series reinstated a little confidence. I think coming in and being able to compete with Western Michigan the way we did — I think is a huge confidence booster.”
Toledo will get back to the diamond with a doubleheader against Bowling Green on Wednesday before hosting a three-game series against Northern Illinois this weekend.
First pitch against the Huskies is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday.