KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Bronco softball team downed visiting Aquinas College in a pair of games Sunday in the annual home fall doubleheader. WMU fought from behind to take game one 6-4 and coasted to an 8-2 victory in game two.
Sophomore
Haley Thibeault started on the rubber in game one and allowed one earned run and five hits over three innings. She struck out the final two batters of the first inning. Aquinas scored three of their four runs in the first, managing three hits and using two Bronco errors.
Thibeault drove in two runs with a single in the bottom of the first to get the Bronco offense going. She had two hits in the game, as did senior shortstop
Sabrina Gamboa. Junior
Marlee Wilson and first-year junior transfer
Abby Stoner each had an RBI.
Sophomore
Anissa Sanchez took over in relief in the top of the fourth and hurled four shutout innings. She scattered four hits, struck out one and did not allow a walk. After scoring two runs on Thibeault's single in the first, WMU scored three runs in the fourth to take the lead and added a final run in the fifth.
Stoner gave Western Michigan a jump-start in game two, blasting a two-run home run to left center in the first inning.
Aquinas got a run back in the top of the third, but WMU went on to bat through its lineup in the bottom half of the inning, pushing four more runs across to take a 6-1 lead. Both teams plated a run in the fifth and WMU tallied a final run in the sixth.
Stoner, Gamboa (RBI) and
Erin Binkowski (double, RBI) each had two hits in the game. Freshman
Skyler Sobeski had one hit and drove in two runs.
Gabby Schefka hit a double to lead off the third and in her only plate appearance freshman
Courtney Sleeman hit an RBI single in the sixth.
Freshman
Jordan Kurth started in the pitcher's circle and went three innings, allowing one run, three hits and two walks. She recorded strikeouts for the final two outs of the first to leaver the bases loaded.
Binkowski threw three innings of relief, giving up one run, three hits and a walk while striking out one. Senior
Allyson Kus came out of the bullpen in the top of the seventh and sat Aquinas down in order with three straight strikeouts.
WMU kicks off its 2016 spring season in Las Cruces, N.M., at the New Mexico State Tournament, Feb. 19-21, playing six games against teams to be announced.
