Game Stats

AKRON, Ohio - The 2009 Western Michigan softball season came to an end on Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Miami in the title game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.  It is fitting that this five-member senior class ends its career where they began it, in the MAC title game as they were as freshmen three seasons in 2006.

The game came down to one swing of the bat and that swing was Miami shortstop Sarah Billstrom's.  She hit a lead off home run on a 1-1 offering from Meredith Whitney in the bottom of the sixth for the eventual game winner.  Whitney, who was one of two Broncos named to MAC All-Tournament Team, threw 405 pitches in 33.0 innings of work over the span of three days.  She had four complete games in five starts and all three tournament wins to finish the year with 17 victories.

Gracie Barstad was the Broncos second MAC All-Tournament honoree, hitting .357 with a double.  Brittney Reist was the only other Bronco to hit over .300 in this year's tournament with a .333 average.

Through four and a half innings Western Michigan and Miami were mirror images of one another.  Both teams had collected two hits off the opposing pitcher and each team had earned one walk.  The only difference in the scoring was the fact that Miami had hit three balls out of the infield and WMU had just one.

Jager recorded the Broncos' first hit in the top of the first, ripping a shot back up the middle.  Reist also registered a base hit back up the middle.  Jager recorded WMU's second ball hit out of the infield in the top of the sixth, unfortunately it was a fly out to right field.

Miami threatened in the bottom of the fifth.  With two outs Alexis Javier singled to right field.  Jordan McElroy followed with a rocket of a shot to second baseman Amanda McBride that went down as an infield hit.  Megan Mawn hit what appeared to be a game-changing hit but instead it was Samantha Vargocko that ran in for a catch to end the inning.