Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Western Michigan softball team ended up on the losing end of a 2-1 ball game for the second day in a row as Bowling Green benefited from a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Samantha Vargocko accounted for the Broncos' lone score with her fifth home run of the season.
Western Michigan (14-14, 6-6 MAC) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Vargocko took a 2-0 offering from starting pitcher Emily Gouge over the left field wall. Vargocko's blast was one of just three hits for the Broncos on the day. She also accounted for a single in the fourth inning.
Becky Bartosz hit her second double of the season in the sixth inning and Vargocko followed by drawing a walk, giving WMU a pair of base runners. The opportunity ended one batter later when Lauren Fuller grounded out to first base.
Those opportunities were few and far between for the Broncos on Sunday. Mandi Sayres, who went hitless for the first time in 10 games, led off the game by being hit by a pitch and was sacrificed over to second base. Amanda McBride earned a base on balls in the second two batters after Vargocko's home run. WMU was not able to advance her and Bowling Green (12-20, 10-3 MAC) was able to tie the score in the bottom of the second.
Neither team was able to break the tie in regulation. Western Michigan went down in order in the top of the seventh and the Falcons managed one base runner. The Broncos again went down in order in the top of the eighth but BGSU did not. Two batters into the eighth Hayley Weimer, who had entered the game after the sixth as the Falcons' pitcher, homered on the first pitch she saw from Kyla Sullivan. Sullivan again pitched well in a complete-game loss, striking out eight Falcons to give her 96 on the year.
Western Michigan will continue its road trip next weekend with a doubleheader at Akron (April 25) and two games at Ohio (April 26-27). The Zips split this weekend at Central Michigan, while Ohio dropped two games at Eastern Michigan.
