Box Score vs. Florida A&M
Box Score vs. Tennessee State

ORLANDO, Fla. -  Western Michigan softball earned a 6-0 shut out against Florida A&M to open the 2009 UCF Invitational.  Freshman hurler Meredith Whitney pitched a complete game for her second win of the season and dropped her season ERA to 1.05.  Lexi Jager hit her first home run of the season and was responsible for both of WMU's runs in a 8-2 loss to Tennessee State.

The Bronco offense wasted no time getting started during their morning game against the FAMU Rattlers.  In the bottom of the first Jager led off with a single up the middle and scored on the first of Mandi Sayres' two hits during the game.  Sayres later doubled to left field in the third inning to score two more WMU runs.  It was one of three extra base hits against FAMU.  Brittney Reist also doubled and Jager added an RBI triple in the fourth inning, scoring Meghan Thomas.

Western Michigan broke out for three runs in the third and two more in the fourth to complete the scoring against the Rattlers.  In the third Reist led off with a base hit and pinch runner Chelsea Westenburg advanced to second on Sarah Thomas' sacrifice bunt.  Amanda McBride later drew a walk and scored, along with Westenburg, on Sayres' double.  Whitney helped out her own cause, singling down the left field line to score Sayres.

Reist's fourth-inning double scored Gracie Barstad who led off the frame with a base on balls.  Sarah scored Western Michigan's final run of the game on Jager's triple.

In the circle, Whitney dominated with 11 strike outs, scattering just three hits.  She did not give up her first hit until the top of the fifth inning when FAMU singled in back-to-back at bats.  The Rattlers' third and final base knock came with two outs in the top of the sixth inning.

Jager, Reist and Sayres each had multi-hit games with two apiece.  Jager added a home run to her resume on Friday afternoon against Tennessee State, leading off the top of the fifth with a shot to left center field.  She had plated the Broncos' first run of the game in the second inning on a two-out single, scoring Kayla Houston who had earned a walk after Kelli Zache and Samantha Vargocko each grounded out to begin the frame.

Zache worked two and a third innings to suffer the loss against the Tigers.  Five runs crossed the plate while the junior was in the circle but only one was earned as the WMU defense committed three errors with one coming in the first and two more in the third inning.

Western Michigan will face Villanova (11:30 a.m.) and Stony Brook (1:30 p.m.) on Saturday, the second day of competition at the UCF Invitational.  All WMU games can be followed via GameTracker and Bronco fans can find those links on the softball schedule page at www.wmubroncos.com.