KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan softball registered another emphatic victory this afternoon, blasting the Akron Zips by a final score of 8-0 in five innings of gameplay. The win boosts the Broncos to 16-24 on the season, and 6-8 against Mid-American Conference opponents.
After a scoreless first inning, WMU got going at the plate. Junior designated player Courtney Farrish sent a single into left field after battling down 1-2 and fouling off four pitches before finding the one she liked. Junior outfielder Natalie Shuey took one for the team in the next at-bat, wearing the second pitch between the numbers on her back to give the Broncos two runners on with one out.
Freshman outfielder Taylor Wolfe did a great job of forcing Akron's pitcher to run up her pitch count, drawing a walk after fouling off seven pitches to load the bases for WMU with two gone. In the following two at-bats, senior infielder Jordyn Swinehart and sophomore infielder Rissa Bajusz were each also hit by pitches, driving in two runs for the Broncos after two innings.
Western Michigan would catch fire offensively again in the bottom of the fourth. After Shuey drew a walk of her own to start the inning, freshman outfielder Darcy Barkasukas dropped down a bunt single to put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Two batters later, Bajusz contributed a bunt single of her own, loading the bases once again for head coach Kathy Leitke's squad. With the Akron infield in during the next at-bat, Swinehart blooped a base knock into shallow right field, bringing Wolfe and Barkauskas across to make things 4-0 in favor of WMU.
The Broncos would not be done that inning, however, as Swinehart quickly claimed second base while the Zip catcher was too focused on Bajusz down at third. With a pair of runners in scoring position, sophomore infielder Cassidy Brendtke roped an RBI single into right field, bringing both runners home and advancing to second on the throw to the plate. After four innings of play, WMU sat just two runs away from ending this afternoon's contest early, up 6-0.
Western Michigan would do just that in the bottom half of the fifth. A Farrish walk began the frame, with freshman Lauren Porter tabbed to pinch run. Porter quickly advanced to second base next at-bat after a left field single from Shuey following some good two-strike hitting. Bajusz displayed her patience at the plate later in the inning, drawing a five pitch walk without taking a swing to put ducks on the pond for the third time in the ballgame.
Next batter, things would come to a close thanks to another RBI single from who else but Swinehart, mimicking her base hit from the fourth to again drive in two runs, effectively ending the afternoon after five innings of play.
Jordyn provided a plethora of offense for the Broncos this afternoon, finishing the day 2-3 with a whopping five runs batted in, as well as a run scored and a stolen base. Cassidy Brendtke and Darcy Barkauskas were 1-3 on their day, with Brendtke contributing a pair of RBI's and Barkauskas coming home to score on two different occasions.
Courtney Farrish went 1-2 with a run scored, while Natalie Shuey and Rissa Bajusz were perfect in their official at-bats, each going 1-1. Shuey touched home plate twice this afternoon, while Bajusz came around to score once.
Reilly Galloway did her thing in the circle at Ebert Field today, registering six K's and suffering just a single hit in five innings. Only facing a total of 15 batters, Galloway earned her 10th win of the season after throwing just 59 pitches to the Zip hitters.
Up next, the Broncos gear up for a mid-week matchup with the Ball State Cardinals in Muncie, Ind. The two teams are scheduled for a single game on Tuesday, April 19 and will play two the next day to finish the series. First pitch on Tuesday is slated for 3 p.m., while Wednesday's doubleheader shows a game one start time of 1 p.m. April 19 will feature a stream via ESPN+ and live scoring will be available for all three games against the Cardinals.
#LetsRide
