Box Score
Overall Stats
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - Western Michigan softball jumped to a 3-0 first inning lead and never looked back, defeating the Chippewas, 6-3. The Broncos and EMU are now tied for the division lead after Sunday's action. Amanda Heckaman hit a home run for the second time in three games.
Heckaman put the offense on her bat in the first inning, homering to center field with one out and two Broncos on base. Katie Niemi had reached on an error to lead off the inning and Danielle Daughtry reached base on a fielder's choice bunt.
Western Michigan (15-8, 3-1 MAC) held the Chippewas (10-17, 2-2 MAC) without a run through the first three innings due to the superb work of Kyla Sullivan (4-1) in the circle. The sophomore worked four innings, earning her fourth victory of the season. She struck out three and allowed just one earned run in the fourth inning.
Central Michigan scored a pair of runs in the fourth to pull to within a run, 3-2. WMU answered with a run in the fifth, taking a 4-2 lead. Kristi Strange ripped a double to left field to lead off the frame. Sullivan helped her own cause by doubling to the left field as well to drive in Strange.
The Broncos added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning. Becky Bartosz and Mandi Sayres led the inning off with a pair of walks. Strange doubled down the rigth field line to score both base runners. Strange, now with 14 doubles this season, has tied Amy Daugherty (1996-97) for the most doubles in a season at Western Michigan. Daugherty originally set the mark in 1996. Strange now has 22 career doubles. She and Heckaman had a mult-hit day at the CMU Softball Complex. Strange was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, while Heckaman went 2-for-4 with one run scored to go with her three RBI.
Krysten Shumaker (2), who went 3-0 in the circle this week with a 0.28 ERA, earned her second save of the year with three innings of work, giving up two hits and one earned run, striking out four batters.
Western Michigan now leads the Mid-American Conference West Division lead with Eastern Michigan. The Broncos take a hiatus from conference play to host defending national champion Michigan, which is ranked 12th in the country according to the latest NFCA/USA Today poll and 13th in the latest ESPN/USA Softball poll.
The two teams squared off on March 4 at the Sunshine State Tournament in Tallahassee, Fla., with WMU taking a 2-1 decision over the Wolverines. The doubleheader scheduled for April 4 has a first pitch of 3 p.m. at Fran Ebert Field.
