Box Score vs. Albany
DeLAND, Fla. - Western Michigan fought back from a four-run deficit in the first inning to take a lead into the bottom of the sixth and eventually emerged victorious with a 10-6 extra-inning win Albany to open the 2008 Stetson Invitational at Patricia Wilson Field in DeLand, Fla. Mandi Sayres scored what proved to be the winning run when she stole home in the top of the eighth.
Sayres began the eighth inning on second base due to extra inning rules and was sacrificed to third when Sarah Thomas laid down a bunt. Amanda McBride struck out swinging but the ball got passed Albany's catcher, which allowed Sayres to race home for the Broncos seventh run of the game. Becky Bartosz followed with back-to-back base knocks to set the table for Samantha Vargocko. The junior followed through with an RBI-single, advancing to second base on the throw. Amanda Gelder, hitless to that point of the game, ripped her first double of the season down the right field line to plate Sullivan and Vargocko and give WMU its winning four-run margin.
Albany went down in order after having a base runner placed on second and the next batter earning first base when she was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the frame.
The Great Danes jumped all over Western Michigan in the opening inning, scoring four runs on three hits. WMU answered back with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Sayres, who finished the game 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored, drove in pinch runner Chelsea Westenburg when she grounded out. The Broncos tallied their second run when Lexi Jager scored on a Thomas one-out single.
WMU tied the game in the fourth with a pair of runs scored by Michelle Bendewald and Sayres. Sayres drove in Bendewald with a double to right field after the freshman had reached on a walk to lead off the inning. The Broncos plated a run in the fifth and sixth innings to go ahead, 6-5, but Albany tied the score in the bottom half of the inning on a one-out base hit.
Eight Broncos collected hits in the victory led by Vargocko's 3-for-5 performance. Thomas also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
Western Michigan takes its three-game winning streak into this evening's game against Stetson at 6:30 p.m. Live stats of the game are available at www.gohatters.com.
