ATTENTION: BALL STATE SERIES WILL NOW BE A DOUBLEHEADER ON SATURDAY BEGINNING AT 2 P.M.

Game 1 Stats
Game 2 Stats

OXFORD, Ohio - Western Michigan softball dropped a pair of tightly contested Mid-American Conference games at Miami on Friday, falling 2-1 and 4-2 in Oxford, Ohio.  The Broncos had the tying runs on base in the seventh inning of each game but could not bat the base runners around.  Sophomore Lexi Jager tied the school record for career home runs with a blast in the top of the first inning of game two.

Samantha Vargocko's base hit up the middle to lead of the second game for WMU set the stage for Jager's record-tying trot.  The Kalamazoo native's jersey bears the No. 12 and that is how many home runs she now as for her career after taking one deep over the left field wall at Miami SB Stadium. 

Jager ties Erin Malloch (2000-03) for the career mark.  Malloch benefited from seven home runs in her senior season to tie the single-season record and set the career mark.  She had three home runs after her sophomore season, while Jager has has at least 14 game remaining in her sophomore campaign.  She has also tied the WMU record for home runs in a season, matching the efforts of Malloch (2003), Gina Dobbs (2003) and teammate Vargocko (2008) with seven round trippers in 2009.

That blast gave WMU the early 2-0 lead but Miami answered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth.  The first two runs scored on a one-out base hit through the left side off the bat of Meghan Mawn.  Two batters later Jenna McGivney doubled to center field to plate two more and post four in the frame for the RedHawks.

Western Michigan stranded base runners in both the third and sixth innings but the Broncos real threat came in the top of the seventh.  Gracie Barstad registered a one-out single to right field.  Lauren Fuller followed with a base knock of her own to put a pair of runners on base for the Broncos but after Jenn Tschetter came into the game to pinch run the next two batters struck out to end the threat and the game.

The afternoon opened with Miami scoring a run in each of the first two innings.  A pair of doubles from Mawn and McGivney plated the RedHawks' first tally and a Kelly Cabana double led to another run for Miami when Alexis Javier singled up the middle with two outs in the inning. 

The Broncos answered in the top of the sixth on the strength of Jager's fourth double of the season.  With one out Vargocko wrapped her third double of the year into left center field.  Barstad went down swinging to give WMU two outs.  Jager stroked the two-bagger to center field, scoring Vargocko and cutting the Miami lead in half.  Western Michigan would get on more base runner in the game when Mandi Sayres led off the seventh with a hit up the middle.  Tschetter pinch ran for the senior shortstop but the next three Bronco batters fouled out, grounded out and flied out to end the game.

Western Michigan travels to Muncie, Ind., for a showdown with MAC West Division leader Ball State for two games this weekend.  The Cardinals swept visiting Northern Illinois, 5-1 and 8-3, on Friday and now have a two and a half game lead on the Broncos.