KALAMAZOO, Mich. – With the Western Michigan versus Bowling Green softball doubleheader scheduled for this weekend having been canceled, WMUBroncos.com took a look back at five of the most memorable games in recent series history. 

The Broncos lead the overall series with the Falcons 52-33, have won the most recent five meetings and seven of the past eight. 


April 24, 2011 | Western Michigan Comes Back for 5-4 Win Over BGSU
WMU came from two runs down in the fifth to defeat Bowling Green 5-4 and extend its home winning streak to seven games. Meredith Whitney delivered for the Broncos, going 4-for-4 with her third home run of the season to lead off the first. She also pitched 3.1 innings to earn her fifth-straight victory and eighth of the season.

Whitney also scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth on Courtney Rousseau's sacrifice fly. In addition to Whitney, Tara Buchanan, Michelle Benewald and Gracie Barstad had multihit games in the win.

After Bowling Green scored a run in the top of the first, Whitney needed just one pitch before sending her long ball over the left field wall. Bendewald drove in Western Michigan's second run, scoring Christina Pigozzi to give the Broncos their first lead. 

The Falcons grabbed a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third and extended that lead to 4-2 with another tally in the top of the fourth.

Whitney came in to relieve starting pitcher Kayla Houston with the bases loaded and promptly struck out Paige Berger to end the threat.  Whitney allowed just one base runner the rest of the way.

WMU mounted its comeback starting in the fifth inning, beginning with Barstad's lead-off single through the left side. After Rousseau sacrificed her to second, Jennifer Tschetter singled to left, moving Barstad to third. Barstad scored on a wild pitch to bring the Broncos within a run.

Bendewald led off the sixth with a double and scored to tie the game on Buchanan's hit through the left side. Whitney delivered a single up the middle and scored the winning run on Rousseau's sacrifice fly.


May 3, 2013 | Broncos Walk Off with Win Versus Bowling Green
The Western Michigan softball team came from three runs down to defeat Bowling Green, 4-3, in the second game of a doubleheader. Caity Pixley provided the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh for the walk-off win.

With the Broncos trailing 3-2, the game-winning rally began with Christina Pigozzi ripping a single to left field. Jenny Rohn reached on a fielder's choice as Pigozzi was safe at second on a throwing error. Loren Nagy, who hit her team-leading fifth home run earlier in the game, sent a base hit to center field, scoring Pigozzi. Colleen Lynch was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a fly out, Pixley stroked a 1-1 pitch to right field, sending Rohn home and giving the Broncos the victory.



The hit was part of a 3-for-4 game for Pixley. Rohn and Nagy both went 2-for-4. Nagy's first hit was a leadoff home run over the center field wall on the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the fourth, that cut the Broncos' deficit to 3-1. 

In the fifth, WMU scored its second run when Lynch was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Melissa Palmer, who had led off the inning with a single.

Bowling Green jumped out to a 3-0 lead early, scoring two on an Erika Stratton base hit to center field in the top of the first. Stratton was responsible for BGSU's final run, sending her second home run of the season over the left field wall in the top of the third.


March 30, 2014 | Broncos Slip Past Bowing Green, 1-0
Allyson Kus earned her second win in as many starts during the weekend as WMU defeated BGSU, 1-0, in game one of a doubleheader.

Kus collected her second shutout of the season, working her 15th complete game of 2014, as she shut down Bowling Green's offense. She scattered four hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Offensively, Western Michigan needed just one RBI, on a Kelsea Cichocki fielder's choice in the top of the third inning.  Melissa Palmer led off the inning with a base hit to center field, advanced to second on an illegal pitch, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Palmer took off for home on Cichocki's batted ball and crossed home ahead of the tag.



Kus made that run stand up, not allowing another base runner until the seventh inning, when the Falcons put the tying run aboard with a leadoff infield single by Katie Yoho. After a strikeout, Yoho was on second when Chelsea Raker singled up the middle. Yoho rounded third and headed for home, but Jenny Rohn fired a strike to catcher Megan Stamm, who applied the tag on Yoho that preserved the victory.


April 5, 2015 | Bronco Softball Extends Winning Streak to Six, Defeats Bowling Green 3-2
Western Michigan completed an undefeated Mid-American Conference weekend and won its sixth game in a row, defeating visiting Bowling Green, 3-2.

Jenny Rohn played a big part in WMU's win. She went 3-for-3, and her two-run home run to right center in the third keyed the team's seven-hit attack.



WMU and BGSU were tied 1-1 after one inning and Rohn's home run gave the Broncos a 3-1 lead in the third. Taylor Sanicki and Rohn hit back-to-back one-out singles for WMU in the first with Kelsea Cichocki delivering Sanicki with a single to left for the game's first run.

Bowling Green scored its final run in the fifth. Both Falcon runs were via solo home runs. Aspen Searle led off the game with a blast to straightaway center field. Kayla Koch sent her ball out to right field in the fifth.

Bronco starting pitcher Erin Binkowski went two innings before handing off to Allyson Kus, who tied her career high with seven strikeouts over the remaining five frames.


March 30, 2018 | Swinehart Delivers for WMU
Mackenzie Swinehart came up with the game-winning hit as the Broncos defeated Bowling Green 5-3 in eight innings in game two of a doubleheader. Swinehart delivered a two-out double that drove in two runs in the top of the eighth to break a 3-3 tie.

Bowling Green took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on an RBI single and the Broncos were held off the board until the top of the sixth, when they broke out for a trio of runs for a 3-1 advantage.

With one out in the WMU half of the sixth, Samantha Coffel doubled to right center and scored on a Marlee Wilson single to left center. Following a lineout, Jenna Faultersack doubled to left center, plating pinch runner Erin Barg. A Sydney Stefanick double to right center brought home Faultersack for the final run of the frame.

BGSU rallied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh as a walk and Kaylee Parker two-run home run to left center knotted the game at 3-3.

Western Michigan wasted little time in extra innings, scoring twice in the eighth for the win. Consecutive hit by pitches started the frame and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with just one out. After a pop out, Swinehart doubled to left center to score both runners.

The Falcons mustered a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth, but a strikeout and fly out ended the contest.
 
#WeWillReign