TOLEDO, Ohio – Senior Celeste Fidge lined a walk-off single through the right side that scored senior Chandler Rice and gave Toledo softball an 8-7 victory over Western Michigan in Friday's nightcap. The Broncos took game one, 5-1.
 
Sophomore Kailey Minarchick (10-11) secured both decisions on the day. Minarchick threw the first two frames in Game 1 and last two in the finale.
 
 
Western Michigan 5, Toledo 1
The Broncos jumped into a comfortable lead with five unanswered runs scored in the first two innings. WMU immediately put three aboard in the opening frame. A bases-loaded walk forced the first tally, while a sacrifice fly gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. The Broncos kept their bats hot in the following frame and scored three more runs off a single to left and a two-run double.
 
WMU threatened again in the fifth by loading the bases off a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore third baseman Katie Cozy then chased down the third-base runner before she reached home to tally UT's second out, and sophomore Heather Webb struck Erin Barg swinging to end the inning.


Fidge got UT's offense going in the bottom of the sixth with a lead-off single to right field. After junior Courtney Heinritz entered the game to pinch run for Fidge, she advanced to second off a passed ball. Junior left fielder Kylie Gross stepped into the box and ripped a deep ball to centerfield that allowed Heinritz score a run and put Toledo on the board.
 
Toledo 8, Western Michigan 7
After two scoreless innings to start the nightcap, the Broncos were the first to score of a sacrifice fly in the top of the third.
 
Gross sparked UT's offense with a one-out infield single to short in the bottom half of the inning. Senior catcher Ashley Maynard put a second Rocket on with a base on balls. Rice and junior center fielder Ashley Rausch then drove consecutive RBI singles to center field to give Toledo a 2-1 lead. Cozy stepped up to the plate and launched a three-run shot to center field to extend the Rockets' advantage to 5-0.
 
The Broncos answered with a run plated off a solo homer to left field in the next half inning.
 
Bidding to get more offense going, WMU's Stoner led off the top of the fifth with a solo blast to left field to cut UT's lead, 5-2. The Broncos then put their next three athletes onboard thanks to a walk and consecutive singles. After a fly out to center field, a strong throw by sophomore shortstop Megan Choate cut down Marlee Wilson at the plate to keep the score unchanged. Unfortunately for the Rockets, Ivy Schaaf knocked a single to left field that scored a pair and deadlocked the score at 5-5.
 
Western Michigan managed to take back its lead off a two-run home run to left field in the sixth.
 
Toledo was only able to answer back with one tally in the home-half of the sixth off an EBI single to short by first baseman Samantha Showalter.
 
After the Rockets prevented WMU from adding anything to its advantage in the seventh frame, freshman Morgan Paaverud put the score-tying run on first with a base on balls. Maynard re-entered the game to run at first, and knotted the score at 7-7 when Rice lined a double to left field. Rice advanced to third on the throw, and a pair of intentional walks loaded the bases and set the stage for Fidge's heroics. The senior drove a pitch through the right side to score Rice and secure the 8-7 triumph.