Eagles Host Broncos in Crucial MAC West Showdown

Softball vs. Western Michigan
Date	Friday-Saturday, April 21-22
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Varsity Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Audio	Eagle All-Access
Live Stats	G ame 1 \| Game 2 \| Game 3
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Hot off a much needed Mid-American Conference West Division victory, the Eastern Michigan University softball team looks to keep things rolling this weekend, April 21-22, against in-state foe Western Michigan University. The three-game series starts Friday with a 3 p.m. first pitch from Varsity Field, before a doubleheader wraps things up Saturday at 1 p.m.
   Live stats as well as an Eagle All-Access feed will be available for the MAC West clash between the Eagles and Broncos. Links can be found on the schedule page of EMUEagles.com. Additionally, fans can follow the action through Twitter by following @EMUSoftball. Greg Steiner will call the action

TALE OF THE TAPE: Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan have squared off a total of 109 times since the two squads first met back in 1981. The Broncos took two in a doubleheader, besting the Eagles 3-2 and 9-1, April 15, in the first ever meeting between the in-state foes. Western owns a 66-42-1 edge in the all-time series, and most recently swept the Eagles in the final weekend of the regular season last year.

DOUBLES FOR DAYS: With a pair of doubles in the Eagles' series against the Cardinals of Ball State, senior Michelle Kriegshauser moved into fifth-place in career doubles in the Mid-American Conference record books with 53. Kreigshauser trails fourth place by two. The conference record, which was set in 2014, stands at 62, and is held by Ball State's Jennifer Gilbert.

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT APRIL 15: If one didn't know better, they may think April 15th is Nicolle Miranda's favorite day of the year, and they'd probably be right. In two starts in the circle on April 15, Miranda has tossed 14.0 innings without yielding a run and striking out six. Her scoreless streak has resulted in a pair of shutouts of MAC West foe Ball State, most recently a 1-0 win over the Cardinals this past weekend.

BATTLING THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan travels to Ypsilanti with a 16-24 overall record, following a 6-5 loss at Notre Dame, April 19. The Broncos hold a one-game edge over the Eagles in the MAC standings, owning a 4-11 league mark.
   Kelsea Cichocki leads the WMU offense, hitting a team-best .426 at the plate with 52 hits and 36 RBIs. Outside of Cichocki, just two other Broncos are hitting at a .300 clip or higher, as Western boasts a team batting average of .276. WMU is out-hitting opponents this season, 295-281, and outscoring the opposition 159-158.
   In the circle, the Broncos hold a 2.98 team earned run average, while allowing 281 hits in 260.2 innings of work. Jordan Kurth paces the WMU pitching staff with a 2.77 ERA, including three shutouts. Kurth has struckout a team-high 66, while walking 24.

TAKING ON THE MITTEN: The Eagles have squared off against schools hailing from the state of Michigan 402 times ahead of this weekend's three-game set. The Green and White have been most successful against Detroit, holding a 48-8 lead in the all-time series while clashing with Western Michigan most often. In 109 all-time meetings, the Broncos hold a 66-42-1 edge over the Eagles. EMU owns winning records against Grand Valley (2-0) and Oakland (17-6-1), but trail in the all-time series with Michigan (8-56), Michigan State (14-29), and Central Michigan (31-72-1).

FAMILY TIES: When the Eagles host the Broncos in MAC West action this weekend, the series will pit the Wyman sisters against one another. Katy Wyman, a senior on Eastern Michigan, has seen time at both second base and DP this season. Katy will square off against her younger sister Brooke, a sophomore infielder for WMU.

PUSHING A RUN ACROSS THE PLATE: With an RBI single off the bat of Lucy Lopez in the seventh inning of EMU's series finale against Ball State, April 15, the Eagles snapped a streak of 29 consecutive scoreless innings. The streak began in the sixth inning of Eastern's last game against Bowling Green, April 2, and carried all the way into the Eagles' latest outing.

BLANKING BALL STATE: Nicolle Miranda was a woman on a mission against Ball State, April 15, going 7.0 innings en route to her second complete game shutout of the season. The Wilmington, Calif. native went the distance to lead the Eagles to the victory, notching her fifth win of the season, while allowing just four hits and striking out three.

SOPHOMORES STEP UP TO TOP CARDINALS: Part of Nicolle Miranda's success in the circle in EMU's series finale against BSU, April 15, can be attributed to the defense behind her. Fellow sophomores Lucy Lopez and Sam Saporito came up huge on the defensive side to help Miranda cruise through seven innings. Lopez made a full-extension diving catch in foul territory for an out in the sixth, while Saporito gunned down a runner trying to swipe second to erase a leadoff walk earlier in the game.

LOPEZ GETS THE JOB DONE: Sophomore Lucy Lopez found herself in a rare situation against Ball State, April 15. The Bakersfield, Calif. native came to the plate with two on and two out in the top of the seventh against the Cardinals with the game tied, 0-0. The last time Lopez came to the plate with the game on the line was back in February when Detroit Mercy intentionally walked the EMU left fielder. This time around, Lopez drove a ground ball towards the BSU shortstop for an RBI single. The one-run base knock lifted the Eagles past the Cardinals, 1-0, and ended an eight-game conference losing streak.

HOME COOKING: Like most northern-based programs, Eastern Michigan was forced to head towards warmer weather for the early part of the season, resulting in a 23-game road trip to begin the 2017 campaign. Since the 1998 season, EMU has compiled a 130-141-2 record at its home field, while the Eagles sit at 2-4 on their home field this season.

MISSING OFFENSE IN MAC PLAY: The Eagles have struggled at the plate in conference play, hitting just .209 at the dish as a team. Meanwhile, opponents are hitting a healthy .321 at the plate, and have out-hit the Eagles 126-75 through 15 games. To make matters worse, the Green and White have been outscored by a 84-28 tally and own a 5.01 team earned run average.

EMU AGAINST THE MAC: Eastern Michigan owns a 397-502-2 all-time record against teams in the Mid-American Conference, and has been a member of the league since 1982. The Eagles have been the most successful against Ohio, Miami, and Toledo. The Green and White lead the series with the Rockets, 57-52, while holding 50-34 and 44-39 edges in series with Ohio and Miami, respectively. Meanwhile, EMU trails in the all-time series with Akron (21-32), Ball State (39-61), Bowling Green (42-58), Kent State (33-50), Northern Illinois (25-38), and Western Michigan (42-66-1).

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: Eastern Michigan has seen more than its fair share of one-run games this season. In fact, roughly half of EMU's games this season have been decided by one run. The Green and White are 10-6 in one-run games this season, a vast improvement over last year's mark of 3-9 in games decided by one run.

ON DECK: The Eagles square off with Michigan State, April 25, in midweek action up in East Lansing. First pitch between EMU and MSU is set for 4 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Michelle Kriegshauser

Lucy Lopez

Nicolle Miranda

Sam Saporito

Katy Wyman

Eastern Michigan Athletics