Game Stats
AKRON, Ohio - Two extra inning home runs lift Western Michigan into its first Mid-American Conference Tournament game since 2006. The Broncos will face (4) Miami, the team WMU defeated for its last tournament crown in 2003. WMU put the lead off runner on base in seven of eight innings but it was home runs from Brittney Reist and Lauren Fuller that propelled the Broncos into the title game. Western Michigan needs to defeat the RedHawks to force a final decisive game this evening. The game(s) will air on Sports Time Ohio at 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 10.
In the tournament's second extra-inning game of 2009, Western Michigan bombed two home runs in the top of the eighth. Reist led off the frame with her fifth shot of the year and 11th of her career. It was the seventh time in eight innings the Broncos put the lead runner on base and the third time that runner scored. After a fly out, Fuller crushed her first home run of the season to give WMU a two-run cushion. Fittingly both shots were over the center field wall as that part of the field and the Zips center fielder proved to be WMU's biggest obstacle over the past two days.
McLean came up big for the Zips offensively again in the fifth with her seventh triple of the season as Michelle Bendewald stumbled in the outfield trying to play the ball. The hit tied the score for Akron and McLean later scored on a fielder's choice to give Akron a 2-1 lead after five innings. Western Michigan answered in the top of the sixth with a lead-off double from Reist. She advanced to third and head coach Kathy Leitke made a move to put Jenn Tschetter at the plate to pinch hit for Fuller. It paid off as the speedy freshman beat out a throw from shortstop on an infield single to tie the score against relief pitcher Heather Bauer.
Akron had runners on the corners in the bottom of the sixth but when the Zips tried a double steal, the trailing runner got caught going to third on a 2-1-5-1-5 put out to end the inning and keep the game tied.
WMU's offense wasted little time putting a crooked number on the board Saturday, scoring in the top of the first. Sam Vargcoko led the game off with a five-pitch walk. Mandi Sayres flared a shot down the left field line that caught chalk, putting runners on second and third base. Lexi Jager broke her mini hitting slump with an infield single to the shortstop, loading the bases for Whitney.
The freshman helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Vargocko. Sayres attempted to reach third but was thrown out on a relay from center to shortstop to third base. Brittney Reist grounded out to end the inning but the Broncos had struck first in the semifinal elimination contetst.
WMU put the lead off batter aboard for the second-straight inning with Gracie Barstad's single down the left field line in the second inning. Lauren Fuller reached on a fielder's choice when Akron threw out Barstad at second and the frame ended on a pop out from Amanda McBride, who entered the game one of three Broncos leading the team with a .375 batting average in this year's tournament.
Whitney had allowed just one hit through two innings of work. Akron did draw two-out walks in each of the first two innings but the Bronco defense kept the Zips at bay allowing only one runner to advance to second base in the home half of the opening inning. The Broncos tried to give Whitney at least one insurance run in the top of the third with Vargocko's lead off double to center field. It was the third-straight inning WMU put the lead off runner aboard to start the game.
Vargocko advanced to third on Sayres' sacrfice bunt down the first base line and Jager looked to send a shot deep enough to score her but it was lined right at left fielder Amber Lowe and Vargocko did not score. Whitney was walked on four-straight pitches to put Broncos on the corners with two outs. Reist hit a sharply ground ball to the shortstop that was thrown to first in time, stranding both runners.
Western Michigan forced Akron into its first 1-2-3 inning of the game. Lisa McLean attempted to bunt for a single but Grastad hooked up with McBride for the put out. Vargocko made a running catch in center field for the second out and made a more routine catch to end the inning.
Both teams placed their respective lead off batters on base in the fourth inning, the fourth-straight for the Broncos. Barstad collected her second hit for WMU in the fourth and Cali Stratton singled for the Zips in the home half of the fourth. Neither team could advance their respective runners past second base.
