KENT, Ohio – Western Michigan softball split the Saturday doubleheader of this weekend's series with the Kent State Golden Flashes, winning the three-game stint 2 games to one. KSU took the first game of the afternoon by a final score of 9-1, while the Broncos bounced back in game two by a 2-0 margin in 10 innings. The results move WMU to 19-30 on the season, and 9-14 in conference play.
The day's opening contest belonged to Kent State (18-25, 9-14 MAC), as the Golden Flashes hung eight runs in their initial appearance at the plate in the bottom of the first. KSU would add another run in the bottom of the fifth to effectively end things in its favor, holding an eight run lead after five innings.
WMU's lone run in the game came via a big swing from junior infielder
Courtney Farrish in the top half of inning number four, launching her third homer of the year over the wall in left. The bomb is also her third in the last five games she's entered. In addition to Farrish going 1-2 with an RBI on the day, freshman outfielder
Taylor Wolfe and freshman pitcher
Jordan Kavanagh each finished the ballgame with one hit in a pair of at-bats.
Game two was another pitcher's duel as neither team was able to crack the scoreboard through the rubber match's first seven innings of play, forcing extra softball from the Diamond at Dix. Senior pitcher
Reily Galloway did what she knows best, striking out five of the first six batters she faced in the outing, and suffered just a single hit for the sixth time this year.
The Broncos threatened in the top of the fourth, loading the bases thanks to a KSU error and two consecutive walks. The Golden Flash defense would prove effective, however, and escape the inning negating any potential damage by Western Michigan.
Neither team could create any offense through the game's first two extra frames, as good pitching and defense from both teams kept things locked at zero in the nail-biter of a series finale between WMU and Kent State.
Then, in the top of the 10
th frame, senior infielder
Jordyn Swinehart began what would end up being the game's defining two-out rally, singling up the middle down 1-2 in the count after fouling off four straight pitches.
The very next at bat, sophomore designated hitter
Cassidy Brendtke dug in and found herself in a two-strike hole as well. After battling back to even the count at 2-2 following a pair of pitches outside the zone, Brendtke launched her third homer of the season over the left field fence to break the tie and put the Broncos up 2-0 late.
Reily Galloway would seal the deal in the bottom half, striking out the final two Kent State hitters and stacking up her 11
th and 12
th K's of the game for with number 13 in 2022. Additionally, her performance today is good for both the 13
th time this season she has sent down 10+ hitters on strikes and her 13
th win this year. Galloway's dazzling performance in the circle included just two walks across 10 innings for complete game number 21 and shutout number eight on the season.
Offensively,
Cassidy Brendtke was the hero for WMU, going 2-4 with a homerun, two runs batted in and a run scored.
Jordyn Swinehart and
Alyssa Kramer each finished 1-4 themselves, with Swinehart also crossing home plate thanks to Brendtke's swing. Freshman pinch-hitter
Mary Smithnosky got the job done in the box as well, singling in her lone plate appearance coming in the top of seven.
Next up for the Broncos is the final home series of the season, as WMU plays host to the Northern Illinois Huskies for a single game on May 3 and a doubleheader the following day. Tuesday's contest is slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch, while Wednesday's two-for-one begins at 1 p.m.
Admission to all WMU home softball games is free to spectators, with live stream and scoring will be available for each of the three contests as well. Come on out and support your Broncos on their home field for the final time this season!
#LetsRide
