KENT, Ohio – The Western Michigan softball team snapped a three-game losing streak and in turn, won two straight after a 10-2 (six-inning) victory and a 6-5 win over Kent State Saturday afternoon. In game one, senior pitcher Rissa Bajusz led all players with a game-high four hits, while graduate student Megan Welsh added four RBI in the win. Later in game two, junior Payton Kelly and senior Haley Boxwell tied a game-high with two hits each.  

Game One 

The Broncos would never trail throughout the entirety of game one and scored early after picking up two runs during the top of the second inning Saturday.  To begin the second inning, Bajusz doubled to right center field and Gabbie Evans followed with a walk. With two on and nobody out, Haleigh Smith hit a successful sacrifice bunt, which advanced Bajusz and Evans into scoring position just in time for Welsh to make her at-bat in the lineup. Facing a 0-1 count, Welsh drilled a double to right field and scored Bajusz and Evans to give WMU a two-run lead.   

In the bottom of the second and during the bottom of the fourth, Kent State tacked on runs to tie the game up at two all. In response to Kent State's rally, the Brown and Gold scored eight unanswered runs. During the top of the fifth inning, Boxwell singled and Bajusz tripled to center field with two outs. Bajusz's triple would put the Broncos back on top by one and in control of the game. In the bottom half of the fifth Bajusz limited the Golden Flashes to a single hit. 

In the sixth and final inning of game one, the Brown and Gold piled on seven runs after recording eight hits in the inning. During the sixth, Smith, Dittmar, Kelly, Boxwell, Bajusz, Evans, and Welsh all recorded hits. Smith would have the exception with a second hit in the inning to lead the Brown and Gold in the sixth. With the help of their seven-run inning, the softball team cruised to a 10-2 win in game one. Overall eight batters would land a hit in game one, while five Broncos saw multi-hit performances. 

Game Two 

After concluding game one with 16 hits, the Broncos fought for a one-run victory to capture their 19th win of the season over Kent State in the doubleheader finale. Facing a one-run deficit to start the third inning, WMU piled on three runs in the top of the third to take a 3-1 advantage over their foes. During the inning, Hudson would single to left field and scored Dittmar on the play to tie the game up at 1-1. Later, with one out, Boxwell doubled and advanced Hudson to third base. After pinch runner Caitlin Tighe subbed in, Bajusz reached base on a fielder's choice and scored Hudson. During the play, Tighe advanced to third. Now with one out in the inning, Welsh hit a deep flyout to center field, which allowed Tighe to score and reach home safely. 

After efficient third, fourth, and fifth innings, the Broncos took a 3-1 lead into the top of the sixth Saturday. Welsh would start off the inning with a bang, leading off the sixth by doubling to right field. After recording consecutive outs, Kailey O'Connor and Dittmar saw back-to-back walks to load the bases for pinch-hitter Riley Chumbley. Chumbley would deliver with an RBI and scored pinch runner Taylor Wolfe to propel the Broncos to a 4-1 lead. To add to their lead, Kelly singled up the middle and scored Dittmar and O'Connor to give the softball team a crucial five-run lead. 

Later during the bottom of the seventh inning, Kent State rallied by scoring four runs. Jensen Gremillion would sub in for relief at pitcher and shut down the Kent State offense. After Kent State managed a walk, Gremillion recorded three straight strikeouts. However, during her third punchout, Kent State managed to reach base after a Bronco fielding error. To close out the game, Gremillion forced the Golden Flashes into a ground-out to secure the Bronco victory. Over her last two games as a relief pitcher, Gremillion has recorded eight strikeouts, her most during a two-game stretch since March 3 and 6 earlier this season.  

Historical Notes 

With WMU's two victories today, head coach Marlee Wilson, tied Monica Folske (1986) for the most wins by a first-year head coach for the WMU softball program. Earlier this season, Wilson and the Broncos underwent a seven-game winning streak and set the longest winning streak since March 4, 2018 - March 11, 2018, where the Brown and Gold rattled off eight consecutive wins. 

In the circle during game one, Bajusz moved to third all-time in program history after a seven-strikeout performance. Bajusz enters next week with a total of 452 career strikeouts. 

Up Next

The Brown and Gold will conclude their weekend series at Kent State tomorrow at 11:00 AM.