AKRON, Ohio - The Western Michigan softball team allowed eight runs over the first three innings and could not dig all of the out, falling 8-3 to second-seed Ohio in the semifinal of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon at Firestone Stadium.
The game, which finally started after a 22-hour delay due to rain on Friday evening and poor playing conditions at both Firestone Stadium and Lee R. Jackson Field on the University of Akron campus, was a battle of the tournament's final two unbeaten teams and the Bobcats' bats were active early.
Ohio scored four runs on four hits in the bottom of the first with Raven King knocking a two-run home run over the left field wall to cap the scoring and give starting pitcher Emily Wethington all th cushion she would need.
WMU found itself down 8-0 after three innings with Ohio scoring a run in the second and three more in the third. The Broncos got on the board in the top of the fourth when Kayla Houston doubled to the left field wall to score Courtney Rousseau who reached on a one-out walk.
Houston was 2-for-3 at the plate with the one RBI. She also took over in relief in the circle as starting pitcher Meredith Whitney lasted two-thirds of an inning. Houston struck out four batters and sat the Bobcats down in order in her final three innings of work.
WMU plated two more runs in the fifth when Whitney singled back to the pitcher, ricocheting the ball off Ohio's Melissa Bonner. She advanced to second on a throwing error by King at first base allowing Lexi Jager to reach on a fielder's choice. Tara Buchanan also reached on a fielder's choice to give WMU runners on the corners with two outs.
Barstad brought home the Broncos' first run of the inning with a base hit to shortstop and Rousseau plated the second and final run for the Broncos with a base knock through the left side.
Western Michigan will face the winner of the Central Michigan/Miami game in the consolation final. The winner of that game will face Ohio in the championship game(s). WMU would need to defeat the Bobcats twice in order to claim its first MAC Tournament title since 2003. The last team to win the MAC Tournament coming from the consolation bracket was Central Michigan in 1997.
