KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In a back and forth game, the Western Michigan baseball team topped Eastern Michigan 4-3 on a walkoff squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 11th inning. The Broncos and Eagles will square off on Sunday, April 23 at 1 p.m. with both squads looking to earn a series win.
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The game went even for 10 and a half innings until the bottom of the 11th. In the inning, Tyler Frank lined a single up the middle to leadoff and was moved up to second on Andrew Stone's sacrifice bunt. After a Connor Smith single up the middle, Grant Miller became the team's hero after laying down a perfect safety squeeze bunt towards the first baseman. Frank came in to score as the Eagle pitcher tried a glove flip home, but it was much too late, leading to a Bronco celebration at the plate.
Freshman Zach Mehelich came up clutch for the Broncos, as he pitched the final 2.2 innings scoreless and only allowed one hit on the way to earning his first career win. Sophomore Chris Modrzynski pitched 3.0 innings allowing one run after relieving Jake Bartels and Jimmy Townsend-Chase, the starting pitcher.
Three WMU players finished with multiple hit games, as both teams finished with 10 hits. Alex Goodwin had a big game, going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Stone and Smith each went 2-for-5 with a run as the team's top-two in the lineup, respectively.
The Eagles struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the first of four lead changes in the game. The Broncos got that run back in the bottom of the fourth inning with a run on an RBI double by Goodwin to score Tanner Allison, who reached on a one-out walk.
Both teams scored one run in the sixth inning, as WMU plated a run on an RBI single by Goodwin to score Smith, who drew a leadoff walk. WMU took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning with another run. Stone hit a one-out single to shortstop and moved up to third on Smith's double to left field. Stone came in to score on an Eagle wild pitch.
EMU got the run back in the top of the eighth inning and threatened to put up more. EMU had the bases loaded on the RBI single, but Conner Henderson threw an absolute missile home from left field to throw out Jordan Peterson at the plate on a fly.
Neither team could push across a decisive run in the ninth or 10th innings, so it went to the bottom of the 11th where the Broncos earned the win.
