KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan softball team returned home to Ebert Field for the first time since 2019 and earned a 12-9 victory over Buffalo to open a four-game Mid-American Conference series.
Mackenzie Swinehart was 3-for-3 with a homer, four RBI and four runs scored.
Alyssa Kramer, Jordyn Swinehard and
Kaylen Glenfield were each 2-for-4. Glenfield and
Courtney Farrish added two RBI each, with Farrish hitting a home run.
Autumn Godwin got the win, allowing two earned runs in 3.2 innings of relief work. Stefanick recorded her first save of the year, striking out three of the four batters she faced.
Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of unearned runs in the top half of the first. Alexis Lucyshyn provided the big hit with a two-out single to score a pair of runs.
The Broncos immediately cut the deficit in half when
Mackenzie Swinehart drilled her fourth homer of the season over the fence in left-center.Â
The visitors then used a four-run third to open a 6-1 lead. Rachel Steffan delivered a solo homer, Jenna Richmond hit an RBI double and Brianna Castro hit a two-run homer to left in the frame.
WMU again immediately responded, scoring three in the bottom half of the frame. A single from
Jordyn Swinehart and a double from
Mackenzie Swinehart started the inning before an error by the UB pitcher allowed Mackenzie Swinehat to score. Glenfield then attempted to steal second on a delay and got into a rundown. She was retired, but
Jordyn Swinehart score on the play. Farrish served an opposite-field solo homer over the wall in right to cut the UB lead to 6-4.
Another crooked number put the Broncos ahead in the fourth.
Mackenzie Swinehart tied the game with a two-run double down the left-field line. Glenfield then singled her home to put WMU ahead, 7-6.
This time it was Buffalo's turn to respond, as Luchyshyn drilled a two-out, solo shot to dead center field to tie the game, 7-7, in the fifth.
WMU used a wild five-run fifth to open a lead.
Jordyn Swinehart singled home a run with the bases loaded before
Mackenzie Swinehart was hit by a pitch to score another run. Glenfield singled to score the next run, then a wild pitch scored the fourth run of the game. After Stefanick walked to re-load the bases, Farrish was hit by a pitch to score another run and make it 12-7. A strikeout and groundout left the bases loaded.
The Bulls returned fire in the sixth, starting when Anna Aguon reached on a misplayed fly ball to right. After a strikeout for out number two, Stefan walked and Alexis Matheney singled to score Aguon. Jenna Richmond then singled through the left side to score Steffan and cut the WMU lead to 12-9. Bronco head coach
Kathy Leitke then turned to Stefanick in the circle who in turn struck out Lucyshyn to end the inning.
Stefanick then retired the Bulls in order in the seventh, including a pair of strikeouts, to earn her first save of the year.
The teams return to Ebert Field for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 3, before concluding the series with a single game on Sunday, April 4, at Noon.
