AKRON, Ohio- No. 5 seeded Western Michigan fell in the opening game of the 2015 Mid-American Conference Softball Tournament, 2-0, to No. 4 Central Michigan Wednesday at Firestone Stadium.
WMU junior pitcher
Allyson Kus (8-9) gave one of her best efforts of the year, only allowing three hits and striking out six (one shy of tying a career high) over a complete game. Both runs off of Kus were unearned as Central Michigan made use of a Bronco bobble at third base in the second inning.
Central Michigan pitcher Rachel Knapp (16-10) was equally as impressive, fanning seven Bronco batters and surrendering four singles over seven innings.
WMU only had one runner in scoring position in the game. In the sixth inning, sophomore left fielder
Ivy Schaaf drilled a one-out single to center field and moved to second base on a sac bunt. Knapp shut down the threat with a fly out to left for the third out.
Also collecting hits for Western Michigan was junior shortstop
Sabrina Gamboa, sophomore designated player
Erin Binkowski and junior second baseman
Melissa Palmer. Palmer led off the seventh with a shallow fly ball to center field, but the next three Bronco batters flew out to end the game. Gamboa singled up the middle in the second inning and Binkowski stroked a ball just right of second base in the fifth.
Central Michigan's Chelsea DeLamielleur reached on a leadoff walk in the second and the next Chippewa got on with an infield error. After a sac bunt, Kristen Goodall hit an RBI single to the hole at short and pinch hitter Taylor Lewallen plated the second run with a groundout to Kus.
Western Michigan (21-25) will play No. 8 seed Ohio in an elimination game tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.