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KALAMAZOO -- It was senior day for the Western Michigan Broncos yesterday (5/7), but it was a freshman who was the hero in Kalamazoo.

Gladstone native Mackenzie Shepeck pitched five perfect relief innings in a 4-2 win over Northern Illinois. Shepeck struck out six and didn't allow a base runner in those five innings. She threw 57 pitches, 41 of which went for strikes.

Her catcher was former Gladstone Braves' teammate Allie Carlson.

That's not all, Shepeck belted her second collegiate homerun, a solo shot in the fourth inning to make it 3-2.

The Broncos finish the regular season 25-23 and will be No. 5 in the Mid-American Conference tournament. They face No. 8 Toledo on Wednesday morning in Akron, Ohio.

Shepeck has pitched 24 innings and earned a 3-1 record. Her ERA is 0.88 and has struck out 25 batters. She's hitting .208 with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs.

For more on Shepeck's big day, click the link to the Western Michigan Softball page.