KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan (14-14, 6-6 MAC) softball is second in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference and fifth overall heading into this weekend's final conference road trip of the season. WMU will travel to Akron (15-31, 4-10 MAC) for a twinbill on Friday before heading down into the Hocking Hills for a two-game set at Ohio (20-19, 5-9 MAC).
SO CLOSE ? Head coach Kathy Leitke captured her 499th career victory with a 4-2 win at Toledo last Friday but two attempts to grasp her 500th came up one run short as the Broncos fell to Bowling Green, 2-1, on Saturday and Sunday.
BUST OUT THE BAT ? Heading into the series with Buffalo, Becky Bartosz was hitting .122 on the season (6-for-49) but since then the senior catcher has collected 10 hits in 17 at bats for a .588 average over the last six games. She has raised her batting average 120 points to .242. During this time she has also hit two home runs, driven in three runs, scored three more and recorded three multi-hit games.
ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END ? Mandi Sayres went hitless in a 2-1 loss at Bowling Green this past Sunday. That snapped a 10-game hit streak that stretched back to a 1-for-3 performance against Northern Iliinois on April 5.
EXTRA! EXTRA! ? Three Broncos lead the team in extra base hits this season. Sayres, Amanda Gelder and Samantha Vargocko all have seven. Bartosz and Brittney Reist are close behind with six apiece. Vargocko leads the team with five home runs, while Sayres leads with seven doubles. Bartosz, Lexi Jager and Amanda McBride share the team lead with one triple each.
ON DECK ? Western Michigan will start the week with its final non-conference game of the season at Loyola-Chicago and will end the week with its final home stand of the 2008 season. WMU will welcome Ball State to Fran Ebert Field for a doubleheader on May 2 and will then host Miami on May 3-4. Sunday's game will also be Senior Day.
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE ONLINE ? All four of Western Michigan's games can be followed live this weekend through Live Stats (Akron) and GameTracker (Ohio). Fans can visit www.wmubroncos.com or www.gozips.com and click on the Live Stats link to few Friday's action and visit www.ohiobobcats.com and click on the GameTracker link on the softball schedule page to follow Saturday and Sunday's games.
