Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Junior second baseman Zach Gentile went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored the Broncos' lone run of the game, blasting a solo home run in the third inning, but Western Michigan (15-10-1) couldn't get anything else going as the Brown & Gold suffered a 10-1 loss to Michigan State Wednesday at Hyames Field.
Michigan State (12-14) took a lead it would not relinquish in the top of the second, when a costly two-out Bronco throwing error allowed two Spartan runs to score. Gentile's second long ball of the season cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the third, but MSU would go on to score eight runs over the next six innings.
A solo home run by Michigan State's Kyle Day and an RBI single by Brandon Eckerle off of reliever Brian Schutzbach in the fourth inning pushed the Bronco deficit to 4-1. A three-run double off of Tim Mowry in the fifth broke the game open as the Spartans went ahead, 7-1.
Mowry's stop on the mound would be brief as he was replaced the next inning, but a but a depleted bullpen that had seen six games in the last seven days didn't have much luck slowing the Spartans down. Four more Bronco pitchers took the hill in the final four innings. Eric Heckaman gave up a pair of runs in the seventh and Greg Marrone was tagged for a run in the ninth as MSU extended its advantage to 10-1. Joe Sheets recorded the final three outs.
Bronco starting right hander Ross Westdorp (2-3) took the loss, surrendering two runs (none earned) on two hits in 2.0 innings.
After collecting five hits through the first three frames, Western Michigan was limited to three the rest of the way. Matthew Abro was the only other Bronco to have a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4, extending his current hit streak to seven games. Recording a single in one of his two at bats, Chris Lewis also extended his current hit streak to nine, tying a team season high.
Ryan McFarlane (1-0) earned the win for Michigan State striking out five and scattering six hits in 6.0 innings of work. Eric Roof led the Spartans with three hits and four RBIs and Day had two hits and four runs scored.
Western Michigan returns to Hyames Field this weekend, taking a 2-4 Mid-American Conference record into a three-game series against Buffalo (8-20, 2-6 MAC). The first game of the series is Friday at 3 p.m., followed by 1 p.m. contests on Saturday and Sunday.
