BOX SCORE

BRADENTON, Fla.- The Western Michigan baseball team (6-2) battled Fairfield and rainy conditions, but came up just short, falling to the Stags, 6-5, in Bradenton, Fla., Tuesday. It was the first loss in five games on the Broncos' spring trip.

Fairfield scored a run in each of the first three innings, but Western Michigan countered with three unearned runs in the third. Grant Simotes led off the lineup reaching on an error and scored after singles by Joe Sheets and Chris Lewis, with Lewis collecting the RBI. A double by Matthew Abro brought Lewis across the dish and Max Kelmigian drove in Sheets with a sacrifice fly.

The Stags but two more runs on the board in the sixth, to go back on top, 5-3. The Broncos pulled even again in the top of the seventh. Sheets got things started with a walk Lewis followed with his second base. Abro knocked another two-bagger driving in the first base runner and Kelmigian scored the next with his second sac fly of the day.

Reliever Drew Mahan replaced starter Eric Heckaman in the top of the seventh, and was able to silence Fairfield's offense for the next two innings, yielding just two hits.

Mahan was replaced by Derek Mosher in the ninth, but a walk, an error and a single lead to the winning run as Mosher (1-1) took the loss.

Heckaman gave up the first five runs, four earned, on seven hits. WMU and Fairfield each finished with 10 hits apiece.

WMU faces Villanova tomorrow, in the second meeting between the the two teams Florida, as the Brown & Gold came away with a 20-6 win on Feb. 29.