CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.- Western Michigan baseball extended its winning streak to five games, sweeping a doubleheader at Austin Peay Saturday. The two teams close out the series with a final game Sunday at noon.
The Broncos took game one 9-3, and built a 9-0 advantage in game two before putting the Governors away by a 12-8 final.
WMU totaled 24 hits between the two games. Junior shortstop and reigning Mid-American Conference Player of the Week Kurt Hoekstra continued his torrid pace, going 6-for-10 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and four runs scored.
GAME 1: WMU 9, APSU 3
Sophomore LHP Keegan Akin (1-1) got the win on the mound, striking out five over five innings, while yielding two runs and four hits. Will Nimke, Brett Struebing and Nick Bradley each saw at least an inning of work out of the Bronco bullpen.
Western Michigan racked up 11 hits at the plate and played a clean game defensively. The game was tied 2-2 after five innings and the Broncos blew the contest open with five runs in the sixth.
Hoekstra led the offense going 4-for-5 with three RBIs, a walk and two runs scored. He belted his first career home run in the fifth, a solo shot down the right field line and drove in two with a single in the sixth. The junior shortstop entered this weekend's series with a .458 batting average and a .708 slugging percentage.
Sophomore second baseman Nick Vogelmeier also had a big game, hitting a pair of double and driving in two runs in the sixth. He also had a walk and scored three runs.
Senior right fielder Jared Kujawa drove in a run with a groundout in the third and cracked a two-run single in the eighth.
GAME 2: WMU 12, APSU 8
Senior RHP Chad Mayle was stellar in the nightcap, fanning seven batters and only allowing four hits and one run over six innings. He earned his first victory of the season (1-0) with the performance.
While Mayle was going to work on the mound, the Bronco offense built a 9-0 lead. Hoekstra drove in a run in the first inning and WMU added two more in the second on a two-run single by sophomore third baseman Grant Miller.
The Broncos again produced a five-run inning for the second time on the day, scoring five runs in the third. The Broncos only had two hits in the inning but made use of walks and defensive miscues, as well as a two-run double by senior Caleb Caton. Hoekstra hit a leadoff double in the fourth and went on to score on a single by Kujawa for a 9-0 lead.
Austin Peay got its first run in the sixth off a single and an RBI double. After Mayle exited the game at the end of the sixth, the Governors scored seven runs, three of which were unearned.
Caton went 4-for-5 in game two with three RBIs and two runs scored. Miller was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Hoekstra and Hunter Prince each had two hits. Prince hit a solo home run in the eighth for his second career long ball.
