Game Stats
AKRON, Ohio - The Broncos exorcised yet another postseason demon with a 3-2 walk-off
win over Kent State on Thursday night. Designated player Lauren Fuller
hit shot to left field that dropped under the glove of Holly Finchum to
plate pinch runner Jenn Tschetter from second base to give WMU a trip
to the semifinals of the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Western Michigan had stranded 11 Broncos on the base paths heading into the bottom of the seventh but the score was still tied at two runs apiece thanks to timely defensive plays throughout the game for WMU. Meredith Whitney earned a lead-off walk and was lifted for the fleet-footed Tschetter. Two batters later Gracie Barstad sacrficed her to second with a bunt, setting the stage for Fuller. The senior quickly fell behind in the count, 0-2, but battled with foul ball after foul ball. One of those clearing the wall in left field on the foul side of the foul pole. With the count at 2-2, Fuller hit a shot to left and Finchum dove to make the play. The ball dipped below her glove and rolled past, giving Tschetter enough time to round the bases and cross home plate.
The win avenges WMU's first loss of the 2008 MAC Tournament a year ago, also a one-run game, after having won its opening round game over Miami in extra innings.
Unlike the opening game of the tournament for WMU pitcher Whitney, the freshman was under control in the first inning. She sat Kent State batters down in order, fanning a pair. The Broncos scored in the home half of the first on a wild pitch by KSU pitcher Kylie Reynolds. Sam Vargocko scored from third after advancing when Lexi Jager reached base and advanced to second on a throwing error. The wild pitch came on what turned out to be the fourth ball in Whitney's first at bat of the night.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native started the top of the second as she finished the top of the first, striking out a pair of batters. Brittney Reist squeezed an infield pop up to close out the frame and maintain WMU's one-run lead. The Broncos doubled that lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI-single lasered through the left side by Amanda McBride. Michelle Bendewald ripped her first career triple with one out, taking KSU left fielder Katie Wheeler through the wall.
The Golden Flashes' first base runner came in the form of Kalie Germaine earning a base on balls but after a sacrifice bunt advanced the third baseman to second, Mandi Sayres fielded a sharply hit ball and fired to McBride, who was covering first, for the final out of the inning.
The Broncos extended their 2009 MAC Tournament streak of consecutive innings with at least one base runner to nine when Reist singled through the left side. She quickly advanced to third on Barstad's double that hit direclty on the right field line. Designated player Lauren Fuller earned a walk to load the bases but all three Broncos were stranded where they stood as Reynolds struck out the next two batters.
Kent State's Lauren Brocklehurst had an apparent base hit up middle taken away on a batter interference call and it proved to be beneficial for WMU as the next batter, Jessica Carmichael, took a 2-2 offering from Whitney over the left field wall to cut the Broncos' lead in half, 2-1. It was the first hit Whitney had surrendered since the second inning of WMU's 6-1 win over Ohio earlier in the day. After Chelsea Jones drew a two-out walk, Katie Wheeler laced a base hit to left field. Heather Duhon tied the game with a dying shot to center field just out of the reach of Vargocko.
Bendewald came up huge defensively in the top of the sixth. The sophomore caught a fly ball in right field and gunned down Jones at the plate with a frozen rope to Sarah Thomas at home plate. One batter later, McBride fielding a ball deep in the hole to her left. She came up firing and threw out Wheeler at first to dodge the threat by Kent State. The Golden Flashes had loaded the bases with no one out before Bendewald's bang-bang play.
The Broncos put runners in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth. Bendewald drew a lead-off walk and McBride placed her second hit of the day with a bunt single. Vargocko advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Sayres worked Reynolds for 10 pitches before popping out to third base. Jager hit a rope to left field but Finchum had to move a step to her left to end the inning.
Kent State stranded three of its six runners in the last two innings with the possible go ahead run reaching third base each time. WMU will have to wait to find out its next opponent. Akron and Ohio must play a postponed game at 11 a.m. on Friday. The winner will face top-seeded Ball State, which fell to (4) Miami, 2-1. The winner of the game between the Cardinals and Akron/Ohio will be the Broncos' opponent at 7 p.m. on Friday evening.
