Box Score
DEKALB, Ill.- Western Michigan (29-20-1, 12-11 MAC) scored three runs in the fifth and sixth innings, propelling the Broncos to an 8-4 victory over Northern Illinois Friday. The win secured WMU a berth in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament next week.
Western Michigan answered a second-inning Northern Illinois score in the fourth, tying the game at one run apiece. Pedro Dager singled and went on to score on a wild pitch.
The Broncos took the lead in the fifth, plating three runs, only two of which were earned, to go ahead 4-1. Kyle Galbraith led off the inning with a triple and scored as Matthew Abro reached on an error. Mosher drove in Abro, and after reaching on a fielder's choice, Dager moved to second on Mosher's hit, stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher.
Northern Illinois (25-24, 15-10 MAC) pulled within a run in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a pair of runs on a two-RBI groundout by Matt Behren.
WMU fired off three runs again in its next at bat, pushing its lead to 7-3. Chris Lewis and Abro powered the Bronco offense with back-to-back home runs, Lewis' a two-run shot to left field. Both were hitting homers for the second consecutive day.
The Huskies chipped a run off the deficit in the seventh, scoring unearned, but Western Michigan came up with a run in the ninth, as Dager scored for the third time on a Kevan Hess RBI single.
WMU starter Billy Morrison (6-1) earned the win, allowing three earned runs in 6.1 innings, and Brian Stroud tossed 2.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts for his first save.
Adam Holdenrid (5-4) took the loss for the Huskies, yielding four runs (two earned) off eight hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
Galbraith, Lewis and Joe Sheets each finished with two hits on the afternoon, WMU totaled 11 as a team. Sheets hit his team-leading 19th double of the season, which moves him up to third on the all-time single-season list.
Jordin Hood led NIU with three of the Huskies' eight hits.
Western Michigan and Northern Illinois will wrap up the three-game series with a 2 p.m. (ET) matchup tomorrow. With a win, the Broncos could clinch as high as a No. 6 seed in the eight-team MAC Tournament.
