OXFORD, Ohio – The Western Michigan softball team was dealing from the circle in Oxford on Saturday afternoon, as the Broncos swept both ends of a doubleheader with the Miami RedHawks, winning 1-0 in the early game and 2-1 in the nightcap to improve to 8-4 in Mid-American Conference play. The Broncos are now 17-19 overall in 2015.
WMU claimed both pitchers' duels thanks to timely hitting, with the Broncos scraping together just enough offense in each game to overcome the RedHawks. Allyson Kus pitched a complete-game shutout in the early game, giving up just six hits in her seven innings. Anissa Sanchez picked up the win in the second game, giving up just one run in five innings, and Kus came on to shut the door on Miami with two shutout innings.
Jenny Rohn went 3-of-5 at the dish with a double, and Melissa Palmer continued her strong weekend with one hit and two RBI over the course of two games. The Broncos picked up both wins despite being held to 11 total hits in the two games, including just two extra-base hits. The Bronocs allowed just two extra-base hits themselves, a double and a solo home run.
The Broncos got the only run they needed in the first game in the top of the first inning, manufacturing a run with smart situational hitting. Ivy Schaaf led off the game with a single to center field and was followed at the dish by Taylor Sanicki, who bunted Schaaf over to second base. Palmer lashed a two-out single to center field to drive in the lone run of the game for the Broncos, making it 1-0 from the start.
Kus put up goose eggs the rest of the way, working her way through a few jams and never letting the RedHawks break through. Miami had runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the second inning after Bree Lipscomb lifted a double to deep right center. Kus induced a fly out to escape the damage.
The other tight situation came in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Redhawks loaded the bases with no outs, but Kus was again able to dance between the raindrops. Kat Lee hit into a fielder's choice that led to Eryn McCarver being thrown out at home plate, and Lipscomb hit a shallow fly ball to right field that wasn't deep enough to score Taylor Shuey from third. Kus induced a pop-up from Remy Edwards to finish the inning, and the Broncos shut down the RedHawks for the remainder of the game to record the shutout win.
The teams traded zeroes early in the second game but the Broncos got on the board first by once again manufacturing a run. Schaaf singled up the middle to lead off the inning and reached second on a sac bunt by Saniciki. Rohn rapped a single to left-center to advance Schaaf to third base and Palmer brought her home in the next at-bat, poking a long fly ball to right field for a sacrifice fly RBI.
Lipscomb hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1, but the Broncos responded in the top of the seventh to plate the game-deciding run. Geordin Craun reached on a fielder's choice and Schaaf drove one to deep right center, with Craun scoring on a throwing error by the RedHawks to make it 2-1. Kus pitched a near-perfect bottom of the seventh inning to close it out, inducing a groundout by Lipscomb to end the game and to earn the save.
