KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In a back and forth extra innings battle the Western Michigan baseball team dropped the series opener to Ohio, 8-5 on Friday afternoon inside Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field.
After going back and forth through the middle innings the Broncos held a 5-4 lead heading into the top of the ninth before Ohio scored one run on one hit to send the game to extra's. In the top of the tenth the Bobcats scored three runs to widen its lead to 8-5. In the bottom half of the inning the Broncos placed runners on first and second before back-to-back groundouts secured the Ohio victory.
Western Michigan scored five runs on 10 hits in the series opener with four Broncos earning multi-hit games. Junior Justin McIntyre was the lone Bronco to have a multi-RBI game going 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and one run scored.
In the leadoff spot fellow junior Connor Charping drew two walks and scored two runs with two stolen bases. Charping now has 30 stolen bases this season, tied for the second most in a single-season in school history. Charping needs just two stolen bases to break the school record.
Preseason MAC Player of the Year and 2019 Golden Spikes Award Watch List member Blake Dunn went 2-for-4 for the Broncos with one walk and one RBI. Senior Drew Devine started off his final weekend in the Brown & Gold with a 2-for-5 performance with one double and one run scored.
Making his final start as a Bronco senior LHP Brandon Petersen went 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Petersen ends his senior campaign with a 3-2 record and a 6.34 ERA. WMU used four different pitchers in game one, totaling eight strikeouts.
Western Michigan now has an overall record of 21-26 and 20-17 in Mid-American Conference play. The Broncos and Bobcats are back in action on Saturday, May 29 for a doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m.
The Broncos and Bobcats were scoreless until the third inning when each team got on the board. Ohio struck first in the top of the third with a leadoff triple to left field followed by an RBI single to right field. Western Michigan responded in the bottom half of the inning with one run on one hit while capitalizing off of an Ohio error.
A bunt single by Will Morrison led off the inning prior to Morrison advancing to third on a failed pickoff attempt from the Ohio pitcher. One at-bat later, Morrison scored on a suicide squeeze to tie the game at one.
WMU earned its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth as senior Drew Devine led off the inning with a double to left field, his 14th double of the season. After a ground out advanced Devine to third, Jimmy Allen roped a singled to right field to give the Broncos a 2-1 lead.
Ohio rallied right back in the top of the fifth with two runs on three hits. The Bobcats led off the inning with a solo home run to go along with back-to-back singles to gain a 3-2 advantage.
The Broncos once again tied the game in the bottom of the fifth scoring one run on one hit. With runners on first and second and no outs junior Blake Dunn registered his 14th RBI of the season with a single back up the middle to tie the game at three.
In the top of the seventh the Bobcats regained the lead on a two-out single to right field. The Bobcats didn't hold the lead for long as the Broncos rallied for two runs on two hits in the bottom of the seventh. Leading off the inning, junior Connor Charping drew a walk and then stole second for his 30th stolen base of the season.
With a runner on second Justin McIntyre delivered with an RBI double to left field, scoring Charping and tying the game at four. In the next at-bat, fellow junior Sean O'Keefe roped an RBI single to left field to score McIntyre and propel the Broncos back in front 5-4.
Ohio rallied back in the top of the ninth loading the bases with one out after a single followed by back-to-back walks. With one out a sacrifice fly to center field scored the Bobcat runner from third to tie the game at five.
In the top of the tenth the Bobcats capitalized at the plate scoring three runs on no hits to gain an 8-5 advantage. Ohio had the bases loaded on three separate occasions in the tenth and drew four walks in the inning.
The Broncos looked to mount a comeback in the bottom of the tenth as Devine led off the inning with a single to left field. Following the single, Hajdukovic was hit by a pitch to give WMU runners on first and second with no outs. However, the Broncos were unable to push across a run, hitting into a double play and grounding out to the Ohio second baseman to end the game.
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May 29, 2021 at 06:19AM
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Broncos Drop Extra-Inning Affair to Ohio, 8-5 - WMUBroncos.com
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