Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
Overall Stats
ATHENS, Ohio - Western Michigan softball traveled to Athens, Ohio for its first Mid-American Conference road trip since March 31 - April 2. The first part of the trip went well as the Broncos swept the Bobcats, 1-0 and 5-4, to keep a strangle hold on the West Division.
The opener of today's twin bill was the definition of a pitcher's duel as Krysten Shumaker (14-4) and a pair of Bobcat (24-33, 6-10 MAC) pitchers combined to give up four hits and one unearned run. Fortunately for the Broncos (26-12, 13-3 MAC), they were the benefactors of two Ohio errors in the third inning to take and hold a 1-0 lead.
Becky Bartosz doubled to left center to lead off the inning for WMU. Mandi Sayres was next to bat and attempted to sacrifice Bartosz to second. The at bat worked out even better than anticipated as Michelle Sauter (11-14) was hit with a throwing error, allowing Bartosz to advance all the way to third base and Sayres to take first.
Sayres stole second to erase the possibility of a double play and catcher Marian Davis threw the ball away, bringing home Bartosz for the eventual winning margin.
Shumaker did what she does best, not allowing base runners, as she punched out nine would-be hitters to up her team-leading strikeout total to 171 after the first game. The only hit she allowed was a fourth-inning double off the bat of Shannon Weidner. The Bobcats went down in order in every other inning.
Two of WMU's three hits in the first game went for extra bases as Amanda Heckaman also doubled. Her two-bagger led off the second inning for the Broncos. Katie Niemi recorded the third and final hit for the Brown & Gold with a single in the fifth frame.
Western Michigan wasted no time jumping ahead in the second game of the doubleheader. The Broncos led off the first inning with three straight base hits. Niemi led off with a single, followed Danielle Daughtry. Kristi Strange bunted for a single to bring home Niemi and give WMU a 1-0 before an out had been recorded in the opening frame. Strange was the only batter to record more than one hit in the second game, going 2-for-4 at the plate.
Ohio answered right back in the bottom of the first, scoring an unearned run on a Bronco error that allowed the two base runners to advance to second and home, tying the score at one run apiece.
The Bobcats busted the game open with a three-run second inning. A two-base error with two outs and the bases loaded plated all three runs for Ohio. The inning ended one batter later with the home team ahead, 4-1.
Western Michigan drew one run closer in the fourth inning with Bartosz smacking a single to score Kyla Sullivan, 4-2. The fire works went off for the Brown & Gold in the top of the sixth. Kristi Strange hit her 18th double of the year and was replaced at second by Corey Andrzejewski. She later advanced to third on a wild pitch. Amanda Heckaman earned a walk, giving the Broncos runners on the corners with no one out. Sullivan advanced pinch runner Nina Ojala to second on a ground out to set the stage for Tricia VanDerSlik, who had moved from first base to the circle in relief of Sullivan. The senior ripped a triple to center field to clear the bases and tie the score at four. VanDerSlik would plate the final tally of the three-run sixth for the Broncos when Sayres lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.
Ohio had at least one runner on in each of the final two innings with the ability to go ahead with less than two outs. VanDerSlik (4-6) retired the final two batters of the sixth, getting Cathy Walters to fly out to center and setting down Debbie Szalejko down on strikes. Shumaker (4) made a cameo in the circle in the seventh inning after the lead-off batter singled. She retired the first batter she faced and then allowed a single to put two Bobcats aboard with just one out. The final two batters struck out, the first swinging and the last looking to give the sophomore 173 punch outs on the season. Shumaker picked up her fourth save of the year.
Western Michigan travels to Akron for a two-game showdown between division leaders. WMU has a three-game lead over Central Michigan and the Zips will have at least a one and a half-game advantage over Bowling Green heading into Saturday.
