Softball | April 10, 2018

KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan softball team travels to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for a pair of games against rival Central Michigan on Wednesday. Game one begins at 1 p.m., followed by game two at approximately 3 p.m.

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SERIES CONTINUED
Each year Western Michigan and Central Michigan split the annual three-game Mid-American Conference series between Kalamazoo and Mount Pleasant. The Broncos were originally scheduled to host the doubleheader this year on April 3, but bad weather only allowed for one game to be played in Kalamazoo. The series will resume on April 11 in Mount Pleasant, however WMU will be the designated "home" team in game one of the doubleheader. Central Michigan will be the home team in game two of the doubleheader - game three of the series.

BRONCOS FALL IN FIRST MATCH UP
Western Michigan dropped a 5-2 decision to Central Michigan in the April 3 meeting. The Chippewas took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring on a leadoff single and an RBI double. CMU used four hits to extend its lead to 4-0 with three runs in the top of the third.

WMU cut the deficit in half, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the fourth. Brooke Wyman and Samantha Coffel started off the inning with back-to-back doubles. Coffel picked up an RBI and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jenna Faultersack. Central Michigan tacked on a final run off a solo home run in the fifth for a 5-2 final. Coffel batted 2-for-3 in the game with two doubles.

A LOOK BACK AT THIS WEEKEND
WMU went 2-1 in a three-game home MAC series against Akron this past weekend. Brooke Wyman hit a home run and drove in four runs in a 9-2 win over the Zips on Saturday. Marlee Wilson and Erin Barg also hit home runs in the game. Junior pitcher Jordan Kurth struck out seven batters, her second highest total this season, in a complete-game effort and improved her record to 7-3 on the season.

The Broncos split Sunday's doubleheader, winning 5-2 in game one and dropping game two, 5-4. Senior Aspen Williams hit a home run in each game and went 4-for-5 on the day with three RBIs and three runs scored. Williams has a team-best nine home runs this year, which ties for third most in a WMU single season and is two shy of the school single season record of 11. Freshman pitcher Sydney Stefanick held the Zips scoreless through six innings to earn the win, striking out three. Senior Anissa Sanchez recorded the final out of the game for her first save of the season.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
The Broncos are currently hitting .298 as a team with 28 home runs and 181 runs scored. Six Broncos are batting above .300. Freshman left fielder Samantha Coffel and sophomore right fielder Mackenzie Swinehart pace the team with a .373 average. Coffel also has the most doubles (11) and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 23. The Bronco pitching staff has sent five pitchers to the circle this season. Of the five, four of them have logged 35.0 innings or more. Junior Jordan Kurth has the most innings pitched of any Bronco with 70.0. Kurth leads WMU with 66 strikeouts, three complete games and a 7-3 record.

SIZING UP CMU
The Chippewas are entering the series with a 17-15 overall record and are second in the MAC West with a 7-3 record. The Chippewas are currently on an eight-game winning streak and are perfect at home with a 7-0 record this season. CMU is batting .310 as a team and carries a 2.98 staff ERA. Erika Underwood leads the teams with a .438 batting average, 24 RBIs and seven home runs. Pitcher Hanna Warren has recorded the most wins on the season with a 5-5 record. Warren has a 2.62 ERA off of 27 earned runs through 72 innings of work.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Wednesday marks the beginning of a five-game road trip for Western Michigan. The Broncos travel to Ball State for a three-game series over the weekend, April 13 & 14.