KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan softball team picked up two important victories Friday, sweeping visiting Eastern Michigan in a doubleheader; 4-0, 8-2.

With the wins, the Broncos locked in their spot as one of eight teams to advance to the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament, May 11-14 at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.

Western Michigan (20-26, 11-10 MAC) and Eastern Michigan (19-31, 9-13 MAC) will meet again tomorrow in game three of the series at 1 p.m., which is also the regular season finale. WMU will honor the 2016 senior class and Bronco softball alumnae prior to the game.

Senior pitcher Allyson Kus fired a complete-game, two-hit shutout in game one. Senior second baseman Melissa Palmer batted 4-for-7 on the day, belting a three-run double in game two.


GAME ONE
Kus had a no-hitter going until the fifth, when EMU's Aoife Duffy dropped in a shallow single to right field. The Eagles did not have a hit again until the seventh.

Eastern Michigan put runners on the corners with no outs in the fifth, as the leadoff batter also reached on an error. The Bronco defense came up big however, keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard. Sabrina Gamboa fielded a grounder at shortstop and held the runner at third before reocording the out at first. In the next EMU at bat, Kelsea Cichocki snagged a sharply hit ball, threw home and catcher Gabby Schefka chased down the runner for out number two. Kus struck out Olivia Logan to end the EMU threat.

Western Michigan scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the third. Gamboa, Abby Stoner and Schefka each had an RBI single in the inning and Brooke Wyman drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

WMU had eight hits in the game. Palmer went 2-for-4 and six other Broncos - Gamboa, Stoner, Schefka, Wyman, Cichocki and Geordin Craun each had a hit.

Kus struck out two and walked just one, throwing her third shutout and 19th complete game of the season. She evened her record at 14-14 on the year and lowered her ERA to 2.57.

GAME TWO
Eastern Michigan scored two runs in the top of the third to open a 2-0 lead, but the Broncos erupted for eight runs in the home half of the inning.

Western Michigan pounded out seven of its 11 hits in the third and batted through the lineup. Palmer had two hits and scored twice in the inning. She led off with a single and went on to score on a two-run single by Cichocki. Erin Binkowski cracked an RBI double down the right field line and Stoner belted an RBI single up the middle to give WMU a 4-2 lead. In her second trip to the plate, Palmer delivered a bases-loaded double to right field, clearing the bags. Ivy Schaaf capped the WMU hit barrage with a single to left field to push Palmer across for WMU's eighth run.

Sophomore pitcher Anissa Sanchez (2-4) worked the rubber in game two, hurling her first complete game of the season. She struck out three and yielded eight hits.