Spring cleaning

The softball team had a streak that no team wants to have: 38 games without a winning streak, dating back to last season. That changed this weekend.

The Bulls (8-22, 3-5 Mid-American Conference) swept Eastern Michigan (10-19-1, 1-5 MAC), giving them back-to-back wins and their first series sweep in nearly a calendar year. The Bulls' offense came alive against the Eagles, scoring 13 runs in the series after scoring just two runs in their doubleheader against Central Michigan (18-11, 4-1 MAC) on Friday, in which they lost both games.

After struggling offensively and defensively on Friday, the Bulls fared much better against another Michigan rival on Saturday. The Bulls' bats got hot, as they had 14 hits and scored eight runs in a thrilling 8-7 victory in the first game against Eastern Michigan.

"We came together as a team," said head coach Jennifer Teague. "The team decided that we wanted to start playing for each other and they made that change themselves. It really paid off because we hit well."

After Eastern Michigan scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-5 lead, the Bulls responded with three of their own in the seventh. After an error by the Central Michigan catcher, junior second baseman Sammi Gallardo scored from second to tie the game at six. Junior infielder Tori Pettine then hit a double to left field with the bases loaded to score the game-winning runs, giving the Bulls an 8-6 lead.

"We had really good presence at the plate," Teague said. "We were swinging at our pitches. We had a couple calls go our way, but offensively, I think we finally hit our stride."

Freshman pitcher Nicole Aviles struggled to close out the game in the seventh, giving up a home run to cut the Bulls' lead to just one. Aviles was replaced by junior Tori Speckman, who got the final two outs of the innings to earn her third save of the season, tying a school record.

Speckman also entered in for relief in the second game of the series on Sunday, pitching 4 1/3 innings, giving up just one run and earning her fourth victory of the season.

The Bulls started their weekend in Central Michigan, where they lost the first game of the doubleheader by a score of 7-1. The Chippewas' offense exploded in the second inning with six runs, a deficit the Bulls were unable to overcome.

The next game did not swing in the Bulls' favor either, as Aviles struggled on the mound, giving up four runs in 2 1/3 innings as the Bulls fell 6-1.

Despite the bounce back sweep against Eastern Michigan, Teague said her team is not satisfied and will continue to try and improve.

"It's always good to get a sweep," Teague said. "But we know this is a process and we need to continue to get better. We're enjoying tonight, but we're going to get back to work on Tuesday."

The Bulls will try to continue their winning streak this Tuesday as they travel to Niagara (3-18, 0-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) for a doubleheader. The first game is slated for 3 p.m.

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