WMU at EMU Game Stats - Game 1

WMU at EMU Game Stats - Game 2

YPSILANTI, Mich. - A 7-5 win and a 7-7 tie, WMU's first since head coach Kathy Leitke's first season at the helm in 2001, at Eastern Michigan on Friday afternoon puts the Broncos .5 wins ahead of Akron in the race for the final spot in the 2010 Mid-American Conference Tournament.  Western Michigan needs to take care of business against Central Michigan this weekend (May 8-9), but today's action gives the Broncos the tiebreaker over the Eagles and in control of their own destiny.

Gracie Barstad almost single-handedly gave the Broncos its two-run victory to open Friday's doubleheader against the Eagles.  The sophomore was 2-for-3 at the plate with her fourth double of the year, a home run, also her fourth of the year and accounting for a career-high four RBIs.

Her first RBI came in the top of the fifth with a double to left field that scored Sarah Thomas, who had singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  The score tied the game after EMU had taken a 2-1 lead to close out the third inning.  Barstad's remaining three RBIs came with one swing of the bat in the top of the sixth.

Diana Patterson led off the frame by reaching on a throwing error by the shortstop.  Jenn Tschetter singled down the left field line two batters later to put runners at the corners.  Tschetter's first stolen base of the season put her on second to remove the double play as an option for the Eagles.  Courtney Rousseau grounded out to put two outs on the board but Lexi Jager reached on the Eagle's second throwing error of the game, clearing the bases in the process.   Thomas collected her second hit of the game to set the table for Barstad, who drove a 3-1 offering over the left center field wall to cap the Broncos' five-run inning.

EMU would not go quietly as the Eagles plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh bu Meredith Whitney, who earned her ninth win of the season, forced the last two batters to foul out and fly out, respectively.  Whitney scored the game's first run for WMU after she led off the second inning with a single to left field and came home on Tschetter's base hit to right field.

Four Broncos had multiple hits in the opening game, including Barstad and Thomas.  Whitney and Tschetter also a pair of hits, each going 2-for-4 at the plate.  Meghan Thomas, Patterson and Michelle Bendewald also collected hits against the Eagles in the day's opening game.

The Broncos had to come back from a run down in the opening game to claim the win, but WMU dug itself a much deeper hole in the second game.  Eastern Michigan tallied a run in the opening inning and scored five more runs in the second inning of game two but WMU chipped away, scoring two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings and three more in the sixth to take a 7-6 lead.

Whitney had another 2-for-4 performance at the plate and got things going offensively with her second home run of the season, scoring Meghan Thomas in the top of the fourth.  Sarah Thomas plated WMU's next two runs in the fifth with a base hit to center field, scoring Rousseau and Jager who had reached on a fielder's choice and error, respectively.

Thomas and Whitney led off the sixth with a walk and single, respectively, and each advanced a base on Patterson's sacrifice bunt.  Thomas scored on a wild pitch and Whitney came home on a error at second base.  Bendewald also reached on an error and scored the Broncos' third run of the inning on Tschetter's ninth double of the year.

EMU entered the home half of the seventh, trailing 7-6 but erased that deficit almost immediately with a lead-off home run.  The Eagles could manage no more runs, forcing extra innings.  WMU had two outs in the top of the eighth when the game was called due to lightning and rain.