KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Three difference Broncos hit home runs on Sunday but WMU Softball dropped a pair to Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan, 5-0 and 8-4.
Trailing 5-0 in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader, Colleen Lynch stroked a home run over the left center field wall, taking a 1-1 offering from CMU starting pitcher Chelsea Sundberg deep to put WMU on the board.
In the home half of the sixth Loren Nagy continued her hot hitting weekend with her second multi-run home run in the past three days. She registered nine RBIs this weekend and now ranks second on the team with 21. Diana Patterson singled to right center field with two outs and Alyssa Prokos pinch ran. Nagy took a 2-1 pitch down the left field line almost directly over the foul pole for her fourth home run of the season. She had her first career grand slam Friday against Eastern Michigan.
That home run brought the Broncos to within two runs but Central Michigan score three insurance runs on three hits in the top of the seventh. Megan Stamm hit a one-out home run, the first of her career in the home half of the seventh and WMU put two more runners on base with Melissa Palmer and pinch hitter Elisha Handshoe each drawing a walk. Diana Patterson popped out to end the rally.
In the series opener, CMU was held without a hit until the top of the fourth but two errors and 10 walks cost the Broncos in a 5-0 loss. WMU out hit the Chippewas, 4-3, with Palmer, Christina Pigozzi, Jenny Rohn and Colleen Lynch each collecting hits.
All but two of WMU's five hits in the second game were home runs and all four runs were scored courtesy of the long ball. The Broncos fell to 13-23 on the season and 4-6 in the MAC standings with road games at Buffalo and Akron coming up next weekend.
Those are the final four road games of 2013 as WMU's last 10 games will be played at Fran Ebert Field. The Broncos begin their final homestand with a doubleheader against Ohio and a two-game set against Akron (April 26-28) followed by a non-conference doubleheader against Valaparaiso on April 30. The regular season concludes May 3-5 when Bowling Green and Toledo come to Kalamazoo.
