Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Sophomore first baseman Matthew Abro's walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th broke a 4-4 tie with Illinois State as Western Michigan celebrated its 28th win of the season and head coach Randy Ford captured his 100th career victory.
"The win today is nice, but it will be even nicer to get three wins this weekend," Ford commented, eluding to the team's all-important three-game conference series with Northern Illinois beginning on Thursday. "We have been playing very good ball lately. To reach the 100 wins is great, but we still have more to win."
Western Michigan (28-19-1) led the Redbirds (22-27) through the first six innings, but a three-run homer by Illinois State's Kyle Cherney in the top of the seventh evened out a 4-1 score.
The game remained tied 4-4 over the next two innings, forcing extra frames. Stepping to the plate with one out in the bottom of the 10th, Abro took the first offering from ISU pitcher Quinn Ewert and sent a searing shot out over the fence in left center for the win. It was Abro's sixth home run of the season.
Adding a double and a single in the game, Abro finished the day batting 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored. His home run gave him 70 hits on the year, surpassing his older brother, and all-time career hits leader, Mark's single-season best effort of 69 hits. The record for hits in a season at WMU is 84.
Zach Gentile (triple) and Chris Lewis each had a pair of hits and an RBI for the Broncos. Joe Sheets doubled and drove in a run, while Grant Simotes also hit a two-bagger.
Throwing the final five outs and allowing just one hit, Tim Mowry earned the win on the mound, improving his record to 2-2 on the season.
Western Michigan took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Kyle Galbraith was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Sheets' two-out double. Abro pushed Sheets across the dish with his own two-bag knock.
Illinois State came back with a run in the top of the second, but WMU countered with a run in the bottom of the inning, scoring off a hit batter, an error and a Gentile RBI-single.
The Broncos extended their advantage to 4-1 in the fifth when Gentile legged out a triple to start off the inning and scored on a groundout by Lewis.
After giving up the run in the second, Brown & Gold starter Michael Klepper held the Redbirds scoreless through the next four innings. He would exit with two outs in the seventh after allowing a walk, a single and then the three-run homer. Pitching a career-high 6.2 innings, he struck out five batters.
Drew Mahan took over out of the bullpen and worked the next five outs, surrendering just two hits, before giving away to Mowry with a runner on second and one down in the top of the ninth. Mahan recorded three strikeouts.
Ewert (0-1) took the loss for Illinois State, allowing one run and three hits in 3.1 innings.
Western Michigan, in a six-team race for one of four remaining playoff spots in the Mid-American Conference Tournament heads to DeKalb, Ill., on Thursday for a three-game set with Northern Illinois. Still in charge of their own destiny, the Broncos can clinch a berth without the help of others with two wins against the Huskies. The top three teams from each the MAC East and West divisions (based on conference winning percentage) gain entry to the tournament, as well as the two next best teams (regardless of division, based on MAC winning percentage).
Thursday's game one at NIU is at 4 p.m. (ET), followed by a 4 p.m. contest on Friday and a 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday. The MAC Tournament will be held May 21-24, at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio. The tournament is being held at a neutral site for the first time since 1982, and for only the second time in league history. The field of eight teams is also new, expanding on six in past years.
