KALAMAZOO, Mich. -Western Michigan softball showed why one game is no more important than the last in its series split with Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon.  After losing, 16-0, in five innings to the Eagles, WMU silenced EMU's offense and puled out a 4-3 victory on the strength of another Tara Buchanan home run and sound pitching from Meredith Whitney.

Eastern Michigan, has it had in game one, jumped out to an early lead, scoring once in the top of the first.  This time the Broncos answered with a run of their own when Gracie Barstad singled up the middle for an RBI, plating Courtney Rousseau who led off with a base hit to left field.  Barstad was one of two Broncos to have two hits in the second game, going 2-for-3.

The Eagles tacked on a second run in the top of th second and sat down the Broncos in order in the home half of the inning.  After a lead-off walk to Lauren Delapaz, Whitney sat down the EMU batters in order to open the third inning, setting the table for the Broncos.

Whitney led off with a single to left field and advanced to second on a fielding error as the ball got away from the defender.  EMU replaced starting pitcher Lauren Wells with Jenna Ignowski, the star of game one for the Eagles.  She did not fair as well in game two.  After a ground out, Lexi Jager, who was 2-for-2 with her first triple of the season, singled over the pitcher's head, advancing Whitney to third base.  Buchanan stepped up to the plate and promptly launched a 1-0 offering over the right field wall to put WMU up, 4-2.  It was Buchanan's second home run in as many days and third of the week.  All three home runs have been multi-run shots and all three either gave WMU a lead or tied the game.

EMU pulled to within a run in the top of the fifth on a Sarah Gerber double to score Delapaz but the Eagles would get no closer.  Whitney sat down six of the next seven batters, allowing just a two-out walk in the sixth.  She finished with five strikeouts in her fourth complete game of the season.

In the opening game of the twinbill, Eastern Michigan used seven extra-base hits, including back-to-back home runs during a nine-run fourth inning.  Lauren Delapaz hit a grand slam followed by Stacie Skodinski's ninth home run of the season.  Ignowski pitched a no-hitter in the first game and was two outs from a perfect game when Myranda McDonald earned a base on balls.  The freshman from LeRoy, Mich., worked the count full on eight pitches before watching the ninth come to the plate high and outside.

WMU has seven straight away games before returning to Fran Ebert Field for a doubleheader against Akron on April 15 and a two-game series with Ohio on April 16-17.