YPSILANTI, Mich. – Western Michigan baseball fell in game two of its three-game series against Eastern Michigan, 6-1 on Saturday afternoon inside Oestrike Stadium.
In a two hour and 38-minute contest, the Broncos registered one run on six hits as the Eagles tied the series at one game apiece. EMU scored five of its six runs in the final four innings.
The Broncos will look to secure its third straight MAC series victory on Sunday, April 29 at Oestrike Stadium with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. Senior LHP
Jacob Piechota heads to the mound for the Brown & Gold.
On Saturday, the Broncos had two players with multi-hit games. Freshman
Blake Dunn continued to hit the ball well against the Eagles going 2-for-3 including a double in the fifth inning. It's the fifth time this season Dunn has registered a multi-hit game.
Junior catcher
Jesse Forestell recorded his seventh multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Sophomore
Drew Devine drove in the lone Bronco run in the second inning with a sacrifice bunt.
On the mound, junior RHP
Chris Modrzynski went a career-high 5.1 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out three.
It was a quick start for EMU, taking an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With runners on second and third and one out, a ground ball out scored the runner from third and gave the Eagles the early advantage.
WMU responded in the top of the second scoring one run on two hits. After a strikeout to lead off the inning, Forestell roped a single for the first hit of the ballgame for the Brown & Gold. A few pitches later, Dunn blasted a single through the right side to give WMU runners on the corners with one out.
The Broncos got on the board thanks to a perfect sacrifice bunt by Devine that scored Forestell from third to tie the game.
The game was tied at 1-1 until the fifth inning as EMU scored one run on two hits to regain the lead. EMU added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs on three hits highlighted by a one out double to right center field.
In the seventh, Forestell connected on his fifth double of the season to give WMU a runner in scoring position with one out. The Chicago, Ill., native reached third on a wild pitch with two outs before a groundout ended the scoring chance.
EMU took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth before a two out two-RBI single extended the Eagle lead to 6-1. In the ninth, WMU collected just one hit in the inning by junior
Jimmy Roche before back-to-back groundouts ended the game. The Broncos now have an overall record of 17-18 and 7-8 in Mid-American Conference play.
