Game 1 Stats
Game 2 Stats

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan softball swept Eastern Michigan in a doubleheader, 10-5 and 3-2, on Friday afternoon at Fran Ebert Field.  The Broncos were aided by Gracie Barstad's first career home run in game one and Samantha Vargocko's three-run bomb in the second game to event their record and improve to 11-5 in the Mid-American Conference.

WMU exploded for 10 runs in the first game of the double dip, plating five runs in the second and two more in the third and fifth innings, sandwiched around another run in the fourth frame.

Down one run heading into the home half of the second inning, Brittney Reist led off with a walk.  Kayla Houston one of two hits on the day with a single through the left side to advance pinch runner Chelsea Westenburg to third.  Michelle Bendewald followed with a single and Amanda McBride brought home the Broncos' first run with a base hit to right field.  It would be the first of four hits in four official at bats on the day for McBride (4-for-4).

Vargocko singled through the left side to bring home pinch runner Sarah Thomas and fellow senior Mandi Sayres followed with a two-RBI hit of her own.  Lexi Jager capped the scoring in the second with a sacrifice fly to right field, plating McBride for one of her three runs scored on the day.

Eastern Michigan answered with a run in the top of the third but WMU kept its offense going with a Reist lead off single and Barstad's first career home run down the left field line on a 1-1 pitch.  Reist would ground out to the pitcher in the fourth but drove WMU's eighth run across the plat, scoring Sayres who had led off the inning with a walk.

After the Eagles scratched out two more runs in the top of the fifth, Vargocko came through with a double to score Thomas and Sayres recorded the team's second sacrifice fly of the game, and her third RBI, scoring McBride, who had singled through the left side two batters into the inning.

Meredith Whitney registered her fourth double-digit strike out game of the season, fanning 10 Eagles in six innings of work.  The freshman hurler improved to 12-7 on the season and 7-1 in MAC games.  Bendewald (2-for-2) and Vargocko (2-for-4) each finished with a pair of hits in the first game of the twinbill.

After the two teams combined for 15 runs and 18 hits in the first game, a pitcher's duel ensued to start the second.  Meghan Thomas had a no-hitter four and a third innings into the game before EMU's Stacie Skodinski broke up the junior's bid with a one-out base hit to right center field in the top of the fifth.

Vargocko provided the Bronco offense their initial shot in the arm in the bottom of the fifth with her second home run of the season and ninth of her career.  Bendewald led off the inning with a walk and McBride stepped to the plate with orders to sacrifice the runner over.  She laid down a bunt that stopped dead in front of home plate, not only advancing Bendewald to second but allowed her to reach first base safely.  In fact, each of McBride's two hits in the second game were sacrifice bunts that worked in her favor.  The second bunt scooted past the Eagle's charging pitcher, Jaclyn Cairo, into the outfield grass.

Vargocko's home run also came on a 1-1 offering and sailed over the left field wall to give Western Michigan a 3-0 lead it would carry into the top of the seventh.  EMU had its mind set on spoiling the afternoon for the Bronco faithful, scoring a pair of runs in their last at bat.  Sarah Gerber earned a walk and was sacrificed to second base.  Jenny Scherer singled up the middle to score Gerber and she later scored on Skodinski's double to left center.  Kaylee Tolliver grounded out to Thomas in the circle, one of seven come backs the junior pitcher fielded, to advance the runner to third but the threat and the game ended on a 6-3 ground out to give WMU the sweep.