MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.- The Western Michigan softball team dropped its Wednesday Mid-American Conference matchup at Central Michigan, 10-2, in five innings.

The Broncos scored a run in the top of the first and scored again in the fourth, but trailed 4-2 after four innings of play. The Chippewas put the game away with six runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Freshman Mackenzie Swinehart hit a one-out single in the first and moved up a base on a sac bunt before scoring on an RBI double by senior Kelsea Cichocki. Cichocki leads the conference with a .434 batting average this season and is second in the league with 35 RBIs.

Junior Aspen Williams hit a leadoff triple for the Broncos in the fourth and scored on a sac fly by Abby Stoner. Stoner also had a leadoff double to start the second inning, but was left stranded after a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. WMU only had one other hit on the day, a single in the third by senior Ivy Schaaf.

Central Michigan used a WMU error and three singles to plate two runs in the bottom of the first, then came back with two more runs in the second to open the 4-2 lead. CMU capitalized on two more Bronco errors and six hits in the fifth. All six of the runs in the inning were unearned.

WMU starter Jordan Kurth (8-13) pitched 3.1 innings in the loss. Only two of the four runs charged to Kurth were earned. Reliever Anissa Sanchez threw the final inning and a third, allowing six unearned runs.

Central Michigan's Rachel Knapp (15-6) struck out eight in a complete five-inning effort for the Chippewas.

WMU's record falls to 15-21 overall, 3-9 in the MAC, while CMU improved to 24-11 and 9-3 in the conference.

Western Michigan returns home to host Northern Illinois for a three-game series this weekend. Friday's game one begins at 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday will be WMU's annual StriKeout Cancer game, as the Broncos partner with Bronson Children's Hospital to collect donations and raise cancer awareness.