GAME 1
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.- The Western Michigan baseball team dropped the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, falling to Nebraska-Omaha, 3-1, at the Snowbird Classic. Junior right fielder Jared Kujawa hit an RBI triple for the second straight game, driving WMU's only run in the third.
Starting LHP Derek Schneider (0-1) went five innings and surrendered one hit and two earned runs in the loss. He struck out five and walked two.
Kujawa, sophomore second baseman Kurt Hoekstra and sophomore catcher Brett Sunde each went 2-for-4 in the game. Hoekstra scored the team's lone run.
Omaha (4-4) plated all three of its runs in the bottom of the sixth and the UNO bullpen held Western Michigan to just one hit over the final five innings. The Mavericks are the defending Summit League regular-season champions and were picked to win the conference again this year.
WMU delivered the first blow to the Mavericks in the top of the third with one out, when Hoekstra singled up the middle to get runners on base for WMU. After a long fly ball out to center field by Andrew Sohn, Kujawa blasted a ball down the right field line and legged out a triple, scoring Hoekstra from first. It was Kujawa's second triple of the Snowbird Classic as he recorded an RBI triple yesterday against St. Bonaventure
The Mavericks (4-4) plated all three of their runs in the bottom of the sixth when critical walks by WMU pitchers loaded the bases with no outs. A sac fly scored the first run and Caleb Palensky provided the big hit with a two-run single. The UNO bullpen went on to hold Western Michigan to just one hit over the final five innings to secure the victory.
WMU put the potential winning run to the plate in the top of the ninth after both Brandon Cable and pinch hitter Caleb Caton walked. With two outs, freshman Grant Miller hit a long fly ball to center field that was just barely caught by the UNO center fielder for the final out.
The Broncos ended the game with eight hits, which was five more than Omaha with three. WMU also left nine runners on base, compared to Omaha who left just five.
GAME 2
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Broncos (2-7) couldn't hold on in the late innings as Lehigh scored in both the seventh and eighth to defeat WMU, 5-4. Jared Kujawa smacked yet another RBI triple, continuing his hot streak from the plate at the Snowbird Classic
The Broncos took a 1-0 lead in the first when catcher Brett Sunde was plunked with a pitch with the bases loaded. Grant Miller and Kurt Hoekstra each got on with a single and Kujawa walked to fill the bags.
Sunde had another big at bat in the bottom of the third, lining a one-out double to left field. Caleb Caton delivered a soaring rocket over the Lehigh left fielder with two outs to drive in Sunde from second and the Broncos were cruising on top, 2-0.
The lead did not last for long however, as Lehigh put two runners on with a pair of singles in the fourth. The Mountain Hawks followed with a sac bunt and two more base hits to knot the score at 2-2. Lehigh tacked on a run in the fifth inning to pull ahead, 3-2.
WMU responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead, 4-3. Kujawa scorched an RBI triple to score Andrew Sohn from first and then came across home plate on an RBI single to left center by Theo Piccirilli. It was Kujawa's third straight game with an RBI triple and his second of the day.
That would be it for WMU in the scoring department and Lehigh went on to post two runs, one each in the seventh and eighth innings, to seize momentum from the Broncos.
RHP Chad Mayle went 4.2 innings in the start and allowed three runs and eight hits. He struck out five and walked three. Senior Monty Porter threw an inning and a third of hitless relief. Hoekstra and Gabe Berman each allowed a run over the final three innings and Berman (1-1) was charged with the loss.
Offensively, Hoekstra, Kujawa and Caton all went 2-for-4 at the plate while Sunde went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
WMU pounded out 12 hits while Lehigh collected 14. The Bronco stranded 15 runners on base.
“When you leave 20-plus guys on base over two games you get swept and that's what happened today,” said WMU head coach Billy Gernon. “Good news is we get guys on base, bad news is they aren't stepping on home plate. Until some of our guys step up in big spots in the game, we will continue to struggle.
"Schneider was solid through five innings vs. UNO and we had eight hits but only one run. If we connect the dots, we will be tough to beat."
The Broncos face Boston College at 3 p.m on Sunday, in WMU's fourth game in the Snowbird Classic. Expected to start on the mound for the Broncos is freshman LHP Keegan Akin (0-0, 0.96 ERA).
