EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The Western Michigan softball team dropped the finale of a three-game series at Evansville, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon. The series was the final non-conference weekend before the Broncos enter Mid-American Conference play next week.
Mackenzie Swinehart,
Sydney Stefanick,
Kaylen Glenfield and
Cassidy Brendtke all had two-hit games for WMU, with the Broncos outhitting UE, 12-11, but leaving 13 runners on base. Brendtke and
Sophia Ehlers each knocked in a run for WMU.
Reily Galloway got the start in the circle and allowed four earned runs in four innings while striking out five. Stefanick threw two innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and striking out four.
| Key Innings
Top 2nd | WMU 1, UE 0
The Broncos struck first in the second, keyed by Glenfield's one-out double. After
Madison Duell struck out, Brendtke delivered a two-out single to score Glenfield and make it 1-0.
Mackenzie Swinehart popped up to end the inning.
Bottom 3rd | UE 3, WMU 1
The Purple Aces took the lead with a three-run third. Katie McLean singled and stole second to lead off the inning before Marah Wood singled to put runners on the corners. Haley Woolf delivered a sacrifice fly to left, scoring McLean to tie the game. Eryn Gould reached on a bunt single, advancing Wood to second, before Jessica Fehr advanced both runners with a groundout. Jenna Lis then delivered a two-out single to left-center, scoring both runners to make it 3-1, before Lindsay Renneisen struck out to end the frame.
Bottom 4th | UE 5, WMU 1
Evansville added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth. Hannah Hood singled and stole second before Bella Coffey struck out and McLean walked to put runners on first and second with one out. A wild pitch moved the runners up 60 feed before Wood sent a sacrifice fly to left, scoring McLean and advancing Hood to third. A Bronco error with Woolf up then allowed McLean to score before Gould flied out to end the inning with UE up, 5-1.
Top 6th | UE 6, WMU 2
The Broncos threatened a big inning, but only plated one run in the sixth. Brendtke started the rally with a double down the left field line before
Mackenzie Swinehart delivered a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Ehlers singled to left, scoring Brendtke and setting up two on with no outs for Stefanick, who went down swinging on a full count.
Samantha Coffel followed with a strikeout before
Rissa Bajusz lined out to end the inning.
| Up NextÂ
Western Michigan enters Mid-American Conference play with a four-game series at Miami set for Friday-Sunday, March 19-21. The Broncos and RedHawks are set to open the series at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, followed by a 1 p.m. ET doubleheader on Saturday, with the series concluding with one game at Noon ET on Sunday.Â
