KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan softball team continues its spring break stretch of games with an appearance at the Clearwater Invitational this weekend. WMU will take on Robert Morris and UT Chattanooga on Friday before facing Providence College and Florida A&M on Saturday. The Broncos wrap things up with a single game on Sunday against Penn State. All games will be played at the Eddie C. Moore softball complex.
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
There will be no live video stream available in Clearwater. Live stats will be available for the UT Chattanooga and Penn State games at wmustats.com and can be found on the schedule page. For live updates and alerts all season long, follow us on twitter @WMUsoftball.
GAME INFORMATION
Friday, March 6 vs. Robert Morris • 12 PM
Friday, March 6 vs. UT Chattanooga • 2:30 PM
Saturday, March 7 vs. Providence • 9:00 AM
Saturday, March 7 vs. Florida A&M • 2 PM
Sunday, March 8 vs. Penn State University • 9:00 AM
LAST TIME
Western Michigan played in The Spring Games last weekend, five games over three days in Longwood, Fla., going 1-4.
Western Michigan started the tournament off with an 11-3 rout of University at Albany in five innings. The win was highlighted by
Samantha Pico's first career-home run and three-run homer from
Alyssa Kramer. The Broncos tallied their 11 runs off of 11 hits with Pico,
Kaylen Glenfield and
Emma Nuyen going two-for-three at the plate. Junior
Sydney Stefanick picked up the win in the circle, fanning three batters and surrendering just three runs on four hits The nightcap game was a competitive showing with Loyola taking the advantage with a walk-off win in the first extra inning after things were tied at 3-3 for five frames.
The Broncos started out day two with a 3-1 game in Dartmouth's favor. Western Michigan had seven hits in the morning game, highlighted by a homer by
Courtney Farrish to earn their run in the game. Swinehart went two-for-three with two singles,
Samantha Coffel going two-for-four with a double in the third inning. In the second contest, WMU lost in a run-rule decision to Kentucky. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the first, a pair of RBI singles and a home run giving them a further 7-0 lead after two innings, sealing the win with five runs over the final two innings.
WMU wrapped up the tournament with a close 4-3 loss to Florida International. Stefanick, Farrish and Swinehart each had two of Western Michigan's eight hits in the game, Stefanick with an RBI from her solo home run and Swinehart racking up a single, a stolen base, and a run in the second inning. Kramer and Coffel each had a hit.
The Broncos also faced St. Bonaventure for a doubleheader in Madiera Beach, dropping both games to the Bonnies by 6-2 and 4-3 margins.
Kaylen Glenfield ended the day with two hits, including a three-run homer in the second game.
Alyssa Kramer tallied a pair of hits in the first game, while Coffel had two in the second.
THE COMPETITION
The Broncos see action against Robert Morris on Friday to begin the tournament. Robert Morris is 6-8 overall. Natalie Higgins has a team-high 19 hits and 12 RBI, while Dana Vatakis leads the Colonials in the circle with a 2.33 ERA in 51.0 innings pitched. UT-Chattanooga holds a 5-10 record and are coming off of a 1-3 showing at the Holy City Showdown in Charleston, South Carolina.
WMU faces Providence to kick things off Saturday. The Big East team sits at 3-7 on the season and are coming off of their own stint at The Spring Games, where they went 1-4, capped off by a 13-3 win over Merrimack. Florida A&M is currently 2-12, having faced off against several Power Five opponents in recent games.
The Broncos wrap things up against Big Ten team Penn State on Sunday. The Nittany Lions are 8-12 afer making appearances at the Easton Bama Bash and the 1-75 Challenge in Atlanta, where they went 3-5. WMU holds the advantage over Penn State 4-2, including a win in their last game together at the Clearwater Invite in 2013.
LOOKING AHEAD
Western Michigan heads back to the Midwest next week for a pair of games in Dayton, Ohio. They play University of Dayton on Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and face Wright State on Sunday in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
