Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Michigan led by two headed into the ninth and held onto for a 9-8 win over Western Michigan Tuesday at Robert J. Bobb Stadium. Jack Scanlon and Kyle Galbraith homered for the Broncos in the loss.
Michael Dufek homered twice for the Wolverines, hitting a solo home run in the second and a grand slam in the fourth. Western Michigan had led 3-1 through three innings.
Bronco starter Eric Heckaman loaded the bases in the fourth and walked in a run. He was then replaced by Chris Bossenbery and Bossenbery gave up the grand slam to Dufek in the next at bat. The ball looked like it was going to stay foul, but found its way out just inside the left field pole.
WMU battled back to tie the score with three runs in the sixth. Grant Simotes scored after reaching on a leadoff walk and Scanlon cracked a two-run homer to center field to even things up.
Michigan regained lead in the sixth, 8-6, using two Bronco errors to score a pair of unearned runs. The teams combined for six errors on the day, Michigan guilty of four.
WMU and Michigan traded runs in the seventh and eighth, and the Wolverines maintained a two-run lead. Chris Lewis singled for WMU in the seventh and later scored from third on a failed pickoff.
Galbraith inched the Broncos within one in the bottom of the ninth, hitting a solo home run to left field. Trailing 9-8, Western Michigan had the winning run on first before the game ended. Jack Scanlon followed Galbraith with a double and pinch hitter Jamie Simpson drew an intentional walk with two outs. U-M's Matt Gerbe struck out Brad Wehrmeyer looking however for the final out.
Kolby Wood (3-0) got the win for Michigan in three innings of relief. Gerbe recorded his second save of the year. Heckaman (0-7) was tagged with the loss for WMU, allowing five runs on three hits in three innings.
Western Michigan out-hit the Wolverines, 13-6. Lewis went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Galbraith, Scanlon and Tim Cross finished with two hits apiece. Cross and Zach Thoma each had an RBI.
Galbraith's home run was his fourth of the season and the 24th of his career, moving him into a tie for fifth place with Adam Rosales and Chad Tarpley on WMU's career home run list. Scanlon's home run was his second of the season.
WMU falls to 10-33 overall while Michigan improved to 28-15. The Brown & Gold travels to Oakland tomorrow for a 3 p.m. game and hosts Ball State this weekend, May 7-9, in the final home Mid-American Conference series.
