DETROIT, Mich.- The Western Michigan softball team improved to 15-17 on the season with an 11-3 victory at Detroit Tuesday.
Junior second baseman
Melissa Palmer and sophomore third baseman
Kelsea Cichocki fueled the Bronco offense. Palmer batted 4-for-5 with a triple, a pair of doubles and four RBIs. Cichocki belted a two-run home run and an RBI double.
Sophomore
Erin Binkowski finished with two hits and three RBIs. She also went yard, driving in two with her second home run in as many games. Binkowski now is tied for a team-best five home runs while Cichocki has four.
Western Michigan took a 3-0 lead in the third off the RBI double by Palmer and the two-run shot by Cichocki. Detroit pulled within one on a two-run homer by Sarah Mauser in the bottom of the fourth, but WMU tacked on four more runs in the fifth.
Palmer drove in senior
Jenny Rohn with a triple and went on to score on a two-base knock by Cichocki. Cichocki also came around to score as did Binkowski, making use of a Detroit error.
UD's Katy Severson hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to make the score 7-3, before the Broncos closed the game with four runs in the seventh, two of those runs coming off of Binkowski's long ball. Palmer notched the other two RBIs with her second double of the afternoon.
Binkowski (6-7) also picked up the win in the circle, hurling four innings, allowing two runs and four hits. Freshman
Anissa Sanchez worked two innings, yielding one run and senior Becca Shembeger struck out three to shut the Titans out in the seventh.
WMU is on the road at Ball State and Miami this weekend and travels to Michigan State on April 22.