AKRON, Ohio - Western Michigan softball swept Akron with a 3-2 win in the opener and a 5-3 extra inning victory in the night cap on Friday afternoon at Lee R. Jackson Field.
It's not normal when a ground out is the play of the game but Elisha Handshoe's ground out to first base in the top of the sixth inning of game one scored pinch runner Bri Russell to break the 2-2 tie and give WMU the deciding run in a 3-2 game one win. Tara Buchanan doubled to the center field wall to put a runner in scoring position for WMU and Diana Patterson's sacrifice bunt put Russell on third.
Courtney Rosseau's ground out in the top of the eighth scored the deciding run and helped WMU sweep Akron on Friday. Tied, 3-3, Emma Bogart led off with a walk and Christina Pigozzi followed with a slow rolling single to third base. Gracie Barstad followed with a bouncing single over the pitcher's head to load the bases and Akron conceded the run on Rousseau's ground out to second base. The Broncos would score another in the inning on a wild pitch for the two-run victory.
In game one, the Broncos jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with all runs coming with two outs. Rousseau started the rally. Buchanan followed with a walk and Patterson's single to right center field put WMU on the board. Handshoe came up big on the fist pitch she saw with a single through the left side for the first of her two RBIs in the opener.
Meredith Whitney worked her 72nd career complete game, striking out eight Zips en route to her 56th career win, 13th of the season. Akron's Keelia Nester singled through the left sied and advanced all the way to third on a sac bunt and a ground out, but Alissa Birkhimer struck out swinging to end the threat and the game.
In game two, WMU grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first when Whitney reached on an error and Barstad, who was 3-for-5 at the plate in the night cap, drove a double to the left center field wall, scoring her fellow senior. After Rousseau reached on an error and Buchanan walked, Patterson singled to score a run and Handshoe drove in her third run of the day on a fielder's choice. The junior designated player was 3-for-7 on the day with three RBIs.
Whitney relieved Becca Shemberger, who worked 5.1 innings and struck out eight Zips, one shy of her career high. Shemberger was also 1-for-3 at the plate in game two. Whitney is now 14-9 this season and recorded 11 Ks on the day.
Akron tied the score in the fourth inning with one run crossing home plate on a throwing error and the other two on Kellie Roudabush's eighth home run of the season.
Head coach Kathy Leitke surpassed the 150 Mid-American Conference win mark with the Broncos opening win on Friday and she now boasts 151 conference victories. Western Michigan, now 21-17 and 7-5 in the MAC, travels to Ohio for a rematch of last year's MAC Tournament championship series.
