KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan softball team won its fifth straight at home, knocking off Mid-American Conference leader Northern Illinois 8-5 Friday at Fran Ebert Field.
The Broncos totaled 14 hits in the game, including four home runs and four more for extra bases. Sophomore first baseman
Marlee Wilson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBIs. Sophomore left fielder
Ivy Schaaf tripled and smashed a three-run home run.
Jenny Rohn and
Sabrina Gamboa also homered and
Taylor Sanicki hit a pair of doubles. Freshman
Geordin Craun collected her first career double.
With the win WMU improved its conference record to 5-2 and its overall mark to 13-17. In the West division, Northern Illinois (5-2), Western Michigan and Ball State (5-2) each now have two losses. Ball State faces Bowling Green in games over Saturday and Sunday.
Schaaf led off the Bronco at bat with her first triple of the season and Rohn gave WMU a 2-0 lead, lining a ball out over the fence in right center for her third home run in the last five games. Back-to-back solo home runs by Wilson and Gamboa in the second pushed WMU's lead to 4-0.
Junior pitcher
Allyson Kus retired the first eight batters she faced before giving up a single in the third. The Huskies finally got to Kus in the fourth, using four hits and a walk to tie the game at 4-4. Allyson Hect came through with a two-out, two run single for NIU during the rally.
Western Michigan got the bats going again in the fifth, scoring four runs to retake the lead 8-4. Wilson ripped an RBI single past the first baseman and Schaaf hit a three-run home run with one out, an absolute bomb over the fence in left center.
Freshman
Anissa Sanchez relieved Kus in the top of the fifth and went on to retire nine of the 11 batters she faced over the final three innings. She gave up a single to center in the sixth and a solo home run to Caitlyn Warren in the seventh. Sanchez (3-4) struck out two and earned her third win of the season.
Western Michigan chased NIU starting pitcher Jessica Sturm after just 1.1 innings. Keegan Hayes (10-6) threw the rest of the game for the Huskies and took the loss. Hayes allowed 10 hits, four runs, walked two and fanned four batters.
Western Michigan and Northern Illinois conclude the weekend tomorrow with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
