In the middle of a 10-game road trip, the softball team traveled to Ypsilanti, Mich. during the weekend for three games against Eastern Michigan that were critical to its postseason hopes.
The Cardinals passed the test with flying colors, sweeping the series from the Eagles, 2-0, 4-1 and 3-2.
The Cardinals (14-14, 6-4 Mid-American Conference) rode strong pitching and the hot bat of junior shortstop Katie Shea to victory.
Sophomore Randi Freese picked up victories in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and in Sunday's single game. Junior Cortney Winger won the second game of the doubleheader. The combined pitching staff gave up a mere six hits in the three games.
"Our pitching staff did an incredible job of keeping (Eastern Michigan) off the bases," head coach Terri Laux said. "Defensively we were solid again and we had some timely hitting and an attacking offense. I think for the first time we had all three aspects of the game working well at the same time."
Shea powered the Cardinal offense, going 7-10 in the series. She had six of the Cardinals' RBIs and recorded three doubles and a triple. Sophomore Kris Burdine continued her hot hitting, going 4-7 with two hits in Sunday's game.
"If you look throughout our lineup, everyone had at least one hit this weekend," Laux said. "That tells me we're starting to even out offensively."
The most important aspect of the Cardinals' performance against Eastern Michigan is what it means to the team's postseason aspirations. The wins move the team into third place in the MAC and solidify their position in the MAC tournament field. The tournament takes the top two teams from the East and West Divisions, then the two next best teams according to winning percentage.
"We're winning the games we're supposed to win now," Laux said. "We still need to concentrate on improving the little things like infield defense and getting runners home from scoring position. We have to keep moving forward."
The Cardinals will continue their road trip on Tuesday, as they travel to Champagne, Ill., for a 4 p.m. doubleheader against the University of Illinois.
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