MUNCIE, Ind. – Western Michigan softball fell this afternoon to Ball State (16-23, 9-6 MAC), suffering a 4-3 defeat to the host Cardinals. Today's result moves the Broncos to 16-25 on the season, and 6-9 against Mid-American Conference opponents.

WMU struck first in this one courtesy of an RBI from senior pitcher Reily Galloway in the top of the first, grounding out to shortstop but advancing senior infielder Jordyn Swinehart who singled to reach base earlier in the inning.

The Broncos added another run an inning later thanks to an RBI single from sophomore infielder Rissa Bajusz in the first pitch of her at-bat, bringing freshman outfielder Darcy Barkauskas across the plate following her walk to boost the lead to 2-0 in favor of WMU.

Western Michigan was not done offensively, and tallied its third run in the bottom half of the third to keep the run-per-inning pace intact. Sophomore infielder Cassidy Brendtke shot a single through the left side of the Cardinal infield after falling down 0-2 in the count to begin the inning, and advanced to second base thanks to another single by Reily Galloway in the next at-bat.

The two runners advanced to third following a sacrifice bunt from junior infielder Alyssa Kramer, and Brendtke came across the dish for run number three after junior designated player Courtney Farrish laced a single to center field.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, Ball State would register its first run of the game in the bottom half of the sixth, and steal the game with three more runs in the game's final frame to make the final score 4-3 in favor of the Cardinals.

Rissa Bajusz was the hot bat for Western Michigan this afternoon, going 2-3 with a pair of singles and a run batted in. Jordyn Swinehart and Cassidy Brendtke each went 2-4 on the day, both also coming across to score as well. Courtney Farrish contributed a 1-3 performance at the plate, while Reily Galloway was 1-4 herself, each notching an RBI apiece.

Western Michigan will look to bounce back in tomorrow's doubleheader against the same Ball State team, with first pitch of game one scheduled for 1 p.m. A live stream and scoring will be available for each game, and each link is good for both games.

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