KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Meredith Whitney produced at the plate and in the circle as Western Michigan shut out Bowling Green, 7-0, earning the junior her fourth-straight win and third shutout of the season. Whitney also went 4-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored in the victory Saturday afternoon at Fran Ebert Field.
After holding a 1-0 lead, thanks to a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the first, for four and a half innings, the Bronco bats came alive in the bottom of the fifth. Courtney Rousseau led off by reaching on a fielding error and then stole second. Diana Patterson moved her to third with one of her two hits on the day (2-for-3). After Christina Pigozzi came in to run for Patterson, WMU pulled the double steal as Pigozzi kept the infield busy between first and second base, allowing Rousseau to score.
WMU's third run came when Allie Carlson, who was 2-for-4 on Saturday, grounded out to the shortstop as Bowling Green opted for the out instead of stopping the run from scoring. Michelle Bendewald, also going 2-for-4 at th plate, drove the Broncos' third run of the inning and scored the fourth later on a wild pitch.
Whitney's fourth hit of the day, a career high for the Scottsdale, Ariz., native, drove in WMU's final run of the game. Carlson scored from second base after driving in pinch runner Pigozzi with a base hit to center field. She is now 7-11, picking up her fourth-straight win and had double digit strikeouts for the second time this season, fanning 11 Falcons.
The Broncos out hit the Falcons, 12-5, and had opportunities to post additional runs on the board but stranded 13 base runners, including stranding the bases loaded in three different innings.
Bowling Green was held to just five hits on Saturday afternoon with Rachel Proehl collecting two of them in three plate appearances. BGSU worked three pitchers during the game with starter Erin Greenwalt suffering her eighth loss of the year.
These two teams to close out its season series at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon as the Broncos look for their seventh-straight win at home. On Demand coverage of Sunday's game will not be available through Bronco Insider.
