Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
MUNCIE, Ind. - On a day with multiple snow delays, yes snow delays in April, Western Michigan softball wasted little time evening its overall and Mid-American Conference record with a pair of wins, 4-0 and 5-4, over Ball State during Friday's doubleheader. Four Broncos recorded a multi-hit day, including Kristi Strange who had two doubles and three RBI.
Western Michigan (11-11, 3-3 MAC) used a four-run fifth inning to gain the winning advantage in game one. Despite the WMU offensive output, it was a trio of Ball State (11-22, 2-4 MAC) errors that aided the run scoring. Lauren Fuller led off the inning by reaching on an error. Kyla Sullivan reached on another Cardinal error to put two on with no outs. Mandi Sayres earned a one-out walk to load the bases, which set the table for Strange.
The Canby, Ore., native slapped a double to center field to empty the bases and give Western Michigan a 3-0 lead. Strange, finishing the game 1-for-4 with three RBI, later scored when fellow senior Amanda Heckaman reached on yet another BSU error. The Broncos had an opportunity to add to its lead but the inning ended when Fuller, who led off the frame, grounded out to strand the bases loaded.
Ball State did not have more than two hits in one inning as Sullivan earned her sixth win of the season, whiles fanning seven batters. The Cardinals did manage to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. By recording a hit, and two walks, BSU had a chance to tie the game with one swing of the bat but Katelyn Gunderson struck out to end the game.
The second half of the double was more tightly contested as Western Michigan plated five runs over the first two innings but the Cardinals recorded a five-hit, four-run fourth inning to make things interesting over the final three frames.
WMU scored a pair of runs in the first when Molly Mroczek brought two runs across the plate with a two-out base hit to right field to score Heckaman and Strange, who had doubled to center field and walked, respectively.
The Broncos went on the offensive again in the second inning, scoring three runs on as many hits. Corey Andrzejewski singled with one to get things started. She advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Mandi Sayres registered the team's first triple of the season to score Andrzejewski and Sarah Thomas, who had reached on an error. Two batters later, Heckaman wrapped her third double of the year to bring home Sayres.
The five-run lead lasted only two innings as the Cardinals chopped WMU's advantage to one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Allie Pennock singled to lead off the frame and two batters later Taylor Yancey singled to the left side of the infield. Elizabeth Milian doubled to score two runs and Amanda Pick singled to plate another. Milian later scored on a wild pitch.
Over the next three innings, BSU pitching clamped down on the Bronco bats as Western Michigan did not register another hit. Ball State registered a hit in the fifth but stranded the runner at second base. A hit and a fielder's choice put two on in the sixth but they too were stranded. Ball State came to bat in the seventh needing to manufacture one run but Sullivan, who came in to relieve WMU starting pitcher Megan Thomas to begin the Broncos' defensive half of the fifth inning, but the junior hurler grounded the Cardinals in order to end the threat and secure WMU's Friday sweep.
Thomas earned her fifth win of the season and Sullivan registered the team's first save of the 2007 campaign.
Western Michigan will now travel to Oxford, Ohio for two days against Miami (11-26-1, 3-3 MAC). The Red Hawks earned a split over visiting Northern Illinois, defeating the Huskies, 6-4, in game one but falling, 3-1, in the day's finale.
