AVON, Ohio- The No. 7 seeded Western Michigan baseball team upset defending MAC Tournament champion and this year's MAC East leader, No. 2 Kent State, 5-0, Wednesday behind a complete-game shutout by junior left-handed pitcher Derek Schneider.

Only two Kent State players recorded hits off of Schneider as he limited the team to four total (all singles) and walked just three batters. Schneider tied a career high with seven strikeouts in the outing, needing just 106 pitches to throw the first complete game of his career. He improved his record to 4-4 on the season and lowered his ERA to 3.54.

Western Michigan broke open a scoreless game scoring all five of its runs in the top of the eighth. Nick Vogelmeier singled up the middle and Beau Filkins reached on an error after Kent State's second baseman bobbled the ball getting it out of his glove. Grant Miller drove in the first run of the game with a single down the right line and Filkins moved to third. Second Team All-MAC designated hitter Mitchell Ho laid down a sacrifice squeeze to score Filkins and also reached safely on the play. Kurt Hoekstra belted an RBI double to left center and Brett Sunde followed with a double of his own, scoring two with a shot down the left field line.

Miller led off the game with a double down the left line and Western Michigan did not have a hit again until Vogelmeier singled with one out in the seventh. Kent State right-handed starter Nick Jensen-Clagg struck out five Broncos through seven innings and was pulled after allowing the first run off of Miller's single in the eighth.

Western Michigan finished with eight hits in the game, recording six in the final two at bats. Miller finished 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Sunde was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two RBIs. Jensen-Clagg fell to 8-5 with the loss on the mound.

Zarley Zalewski had three of Kent State's four hits, singling in his first three trips to the plate. Schneider however struck out Zalewski swinging for the final out in the bottom of the ninth.

Zach Beckner had KSU's other hit in the sixth. The Flashes had runners at first and third with one out in the sixth, as Schneider plunked Dylan Rosa and Beckner followed with a single through the right side. Schneider ended the inning with a groundball double play back to Hoekstra at shortstop.

The Broncos (22-28) will face No. 3 Ohio (33-19) tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. The Bobcats defeated No. 6 Bowling Green, 6-2, in the 9:30 a.m. game Wednesday.

Kent State (31-21) will face BGSU (23-28) in an elimination game at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

GAME NOTES
• Western Michigan has qualified for the MAC Tournament four out of five seasons under head coach Billy Gernon and has defeated a higher seed in all four tournament appearances.

• Its the second time under Gernon WMU has defeated the No. 2 seed as the No. 7 seed also beating No. 2 Central Michigan 9-7 in the Broncos' opening game of the 2011 tournament.

• It was WMU's first ever shutout in the MAC Tournament and the five-run margin was WMU's largest margin of victory.

• Kent State has won the MAC Tournament in nine of the last 14 seasons, including last year. The Golden Flashes eliminated Western Michigan with a 12-2 victory in 2014 to get to the title game where they defeated Akron.

• The Broncos' victory snapped a 16-game losing streak against Kent State and was WMU's first over the Flashes since March 23, 2007, a 4-3 WMU victory.

• Sunde's double was his MAC-leading 18th of the season, while Hoekstra's was his 15th. Miller's was his eighth.

• Schneider struck out six last year against Ball State in the MAC Tournament, giving him 13 K's for his career in the postseason.

• It was the third time this season Schneider struck out seven batters, tying a career high.