Box Score
AKRON, Ohio ? Western Michigan softball team's 2008 campaign came to an end in abrupt fashion on Friday afternoon at the Mid-American Conference Tournament, losing to Ohio, 8-0, in five innings at Firestone Stadium.
Western Michigan had base runners in two of the first three innings against the Bobcats but was not able to bring a run across the plate, stranding two in the first and one on third base in the third inning.
Molly Mroczek collected WMU's first hit with a base knock to center field. Becky Bartosz followed with an infield single to the short stop. Both runners advanced to second and third, respectively, on a double steal but were stranded there.
Sarah Thomas drew a lead-off walk in the top of the third, advanced to second on Mandi Sayres sacrifice bunt. Ohio had originally thought Thomas was picked off at first one pitch earlier but interference was called, allowing the Kalamazoo native to remain at first. She advanced to third on Mroczek's ground out but she was stranded when Bartosz's sharply hit ball to right field was hauled in by Maureen McKelvey.
WMU got things going again in the top of the fourth with one out. Lexi Jager chopped a ball into the dirt directly in front of home plate that allowed to her reach base without Ohio offering a throw. Samantha Vargocko followed with her sixth double of the season, putting runners on second and third with one out.
A Lauren Fuller strike out followed by pinch hitter Kayla Turner's ground out ended the Bronco threat, leaving the game scoreless through three and a half innings.
Kyla Sullivan was perfect through three innings but the Bobcats got to the senior and WMU's defense in the bottom of the fourth. Courtney Waters led off the inning getting hit by a pitch. Shalene Petrich followed with a base hit, as did Melissa Bonner to plate Waters and give Ohio a 1-0 lead.
Deanna Hartsough reached on a fielder's choice on a ball hit no more than five feet from home plate. The slap scored Petrich and a throwing error by Jager allowed Hartsough to advance to second base. McKelvey drove in Ohio's third run of the inning on a base hit to center field, scoring Bonner.
The Bobcats scratched two more runs and when the dust settled on the fourth inning, Ohio had scored five runs due to four hits and one WMU error.
This was the third meeting between Western Michigan and Ohio in as many MAC Tournaments. The Broncos defeated OU, 1-0, in 2006 en route to the title game. The Bobcats eliminated WMU last season with a 5-2 win, making it two years straight as the reason for the Broncos' exit from the conference tournament.
Thomas collected a lead-off base hit in the top of the fifth but was thrown out at second on Sayres' fielder's choice. The Broncos registered their third inning in the first five with at least two base runners when Bartosz was hit by a pitch. Again those base runners were stranded when pinch hitter Michelle Bendewald grounded out to third base.
Ohio scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game and advance to take on Bowling Green.
