Eagles Close Out Regular Season in Kalamazoo

Softball at Western Michigan
Date	Friday-Saturday, May 4-5
Venue	Kalamazoo, Mich. \| Ebert Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Twitter	@EMU Softball \| @EMUAthletics

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -  The Eastern Michigan University softball team closes out the regular season on the road at Western Michigan University this weekend, Friday-Saturday, May 4-5. The Eagles and Broncos will square off for a crucial three-game Mid-American Conference West Division series at Ebert Field, starting with a single game Friday at 3 p.m. and concluding with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
   Eastern Michigan enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 10-37 overall record, including a 5-15 mark in league games. EMU most recently split a non-conference doubleheader against Oakland, May 2. Western Michigan sits at 26-22 on the year, and 12-8 in MAC play. After knocking off No. 14 Michigan, 8-2, May 1, WMU fell, 4-2, at Detroit Mercy, May 2.
   Live stats will be available for all three games of the series, while fans can follow the action through Twitter by following the team's account, @EMUSoftball.

DOIN' IT ALL: After pitching the last inning of EMU's first game against Oakland, and the first three frames of the night cap, Trisha Trujillo put an exclamation on her career at Varsity Field at the plate. Stepping to the dish with runners on the corners and one out, Trujillo blooped a single to right to bring across the game-winning run. Trujillo's RBI single is believed to be the first time an Eagle pitcher has recorded a walk-off hit since Nikki Denman's walk-off home run against Kent State, March 23, 2003.

BREAKING OUT THE BATS: Eastern Michigan pounded out 10 hits in the second leg of a doubleheader against Oakland, May 2. The Eagles' 10 base knocks, which were spread among seven players, were the most hits recorded by EMU since tallying 14 against Toledo, April 11.

WALKING OFF: An RBI single off the bat of Trisha Trujillo gave the Eagles a 7-6 walk-off win over Oakland, May 2. Trujillo's late game heroics marked EMU's third walk-off of the season, as Amanda Akles (vs. Miami, April 6) and Sam Saporito (vs. Rhode Island, Feb. 23) came through in the clutch earlier this season.

GETTING OUT IN FRONT EARLY: In its second game against Oakland, May 2, EMU wasted little time getting on the board. Trailing 1-0, Eastern sprung for six runs on four hits, an error, and three walks. The six-run frame was not only the Eagles highest scoring inning of the season, but it was the most runs EMU has put up in a single inning since scoring six in the fifth inning of a 10-1 run-rule win over Savannah State, March 19, 2017.

PLENTY OF FIRST FOR PETERS: Junior Alex Peters made the first two starts of her career in EMU's double dip with Oakland, May 2, and picked up a few more firsts along the way. The Oscoda, Mich. native recorded the first RBI of her career on a bases loaded walk in the first game, before notching the first hit of her career in the night cap.

ALRIGHT, ARI!: With a 3-for-4 effort in EMU's walk-off win over Oakland, May 2, sophomore Ariana Chretien tallied the 12th three-hit effort by an Eagle this season. Becoming the seventh Eagle to register three-or-more hits in a game, Chretien also set a career-best for hits in a game.

WORKING TOWARDS THE CENTURY MARK: Head Coach Melissa Gentile's career win total currently sits at 99. She recorded her first 22 wins at Jacksonville, while her last 77 have come at Eastern Michigan.

WINNING IN KZOO: The last time Eastern Michigan knocked off Western came back during the 2011 campaign, when the Green and White cruised past the Broncos, 16-0, in game one of a double dip in Kalamazoo. Jenna Ignowski tossed a five-inning no-hitter, while striking out seven, en route to the win. Meanwhile, Stacie Skodinski and Lauren Delapaz blasted home runs to lead EMU's offensive onslaught. Skodinski finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored, while Delapaz went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Eastern Michigan has squared off against Western Michigan 109 times ahead of this weekend's series, the most of any in-state opponent. WMU holds a 69-42-1 all-time lead in the series and has won the last 15 meetings.
   The Broncos swept the Eagles in a tight three-game series last season. Western won the opener 3-2, before securing the sweep with 7-5 and 5-2 wins in a doubleheader.

TAKING ON THE MITTEN: The Eagles have squared off against schools hailing from the state of Michigan 415 times ahead of this weekend's clash against WMU, including a 3-3 mark this season. The Eagles 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 69-42-1 edge over the Eagles. EMU owns winning records against Grand Valley State (2-0) and Oakland (20-7-1), but trail in the all-time series with Michigan (8-57), Michigan State (14-31), and Central Michigan (33-74-1).

WONDER WOMAN: Senior Haley Hostetler has been one of EMU's most reliable players during her time in Ypsilanti. In fact, the New Haven, Ind. native has played in 198 consecutive games since stepping foot on campus, more than any other player in program history. Playing in three games against Ball State, April 27-28, Hostetler surpassed Jessica Richard's previous program standard of 195 games played.
   Additionally, Hostetler also holds the program record for starts, having made 197 during her tenure between center field, shortstop, and most recently first base.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Players Mentioned

Amanda Akles

Ariana Chretien

Haley Hostetler

Alex Peters

Sam Saporito

Trisha Trujillo

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