MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Behind a dominant pitching performance from Kyle Mallwitz and Tyler Frank's first career home run, the Western Michigan Baseball team cruised past rival Central Michigan 11-2 in game three of the series on Sunday Afternoon at Theunnisen Stadium.
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Mallwitz pitched 7.2 innings to earn his team-leading fifth win of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits and five walks with six strikeouts. Mallwitz held the Chippewas scoreless for the first six innings and didn't allow a hit through 2.2 innings. Nic Laio came in to pitch the final 1.1 innings scoreless while striking out three. Mallwitz/Laio combined to hold CMU to just five hits as a team, the same amount of errors the Chippewas were charged with in the game. WMU finished with nine hits and did not commit an error as just four of the Broncos' 11 runs were earned.
Senior Alex Goodwin led the way offensively for WMU, as the catcher went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Frank went 1-for-4 with his first career home run, a two-run shot in the top of the second inning. Tanner Allison and Jesse Forestell each went 1-for-4 with an RBI while Connor Smith had two runs.
WMU jumped out to an 8-0 lead before Central Michigan got on the board, scoring two runs in the second, one in the third, three in the fifth and two in the seventh.
Frank's two-run blast to left field gave the Broncos a 2-0 lead in the second inning; the home run scored Andrew Stone, who reached on a fielder's choice. WMU added another run in the third thanks to one of the five Chippewa errors, as Smith reached on an error and came around to score on Allison's RBI single to right field.
The Broncos poured in three more runs in the top of the fifth to make it 6-0, this time using three hits and two CMU errors in the inning. Smith led off with a single and Grant Miller reached on an error to third base. After a strikeout, Nate Grys loaded the bases as he reached on another error, setting the table for Goodwin's two-run single to left center. Stone also sent an RBI single to left field after Goodwin.
The team's traded a pair of runs in the seventh inning, as WMU added two thanks to a Goodwin RBI double along with a run coming in to score on another CMU error. After the Chippewas made it an 8-2 ball game in the bottom of the seventh, the Broncos gave CMU a dagger with three runs in the top of the eighth. Nick Vogelmeier drew a leadoff walk and moved up to second on Smith's sacrifice bunt. After Miller and Allison drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, Grys drew another walk to earn an RBI and make it 9-2. Forestell sent a fly ball to left field to score Miller and Goodwin delivered an RBI single to left field.
In their next game, the Broncos will head to Illinois on Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. before hosting 10 straight home games at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field.
