EMERSON, Ga. – Western Michigan baseball had a one run lead through five innings but was unable to halt the Purdue offense as the Boilermakers scored eight runs in the final four innings to earn a 10-4 victory over the Broncos in the series finale.
On the weekend, WMU collected 22 hits and scored six runs against Big Ten powerhouse Purdue. Four players for WMU registered at least three hits with two having four hits in the three-game series. The junior duo of
Jimmy Roche and Conner
Henderson hit a combined .347 with three runs scored and an RBI.
In the series finale Roche led the Broncos at the plate going 1-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore
Drew Devine drew two walks and scored one run while going 1-for-2 at the plate. WMU had three different players register RBIs on
Sunday with Grys, Roche and junior
Connor Smith each earning one.
The Broncos got a solid start from senior LHP
Jacob Piechota who went five innings allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out two. Piechota retired seven of the final eight batters he faced including seven straight.
Piechota's counterpart Ryan Beard went four innings allowing six hits and two earned runs. Beard was the Region 18 Pitcher of the Year at College of Southern Idaho last season. The Broncos are on the road next weekend, heading to Buies Creek, N.C. for three games against Miami, Campbell and Yale.
Western Michigan raced out to an early 2-0 lead in the third inning as the Broncos rattled off four straight hits. Roche roped a single to left field that scored Devine for the first run of the ballgame. It was the first RBI of the season for Roche.
Junior
Connor Smith tallied the second run of the inning, beating out a double play ball and scoring fellow junior
Andrew Stone from third. WMU loaded the bases later in the inning before a strikeout ended the scoring chance. In the third the Brown & Gold sent eight batters to the plate, scoring two runs on four hits.
It didn't take long for Purdue to respond as Skyler Hunter laced a triple off the wall in the right field corner to score the runner from first with two outs in the bottom of the third. Jacson McGown scored Hunter from third the next at-bat with a single up the middle to tie the game at 2-2.
The Broncos regained the lead in the top of the fifth as WMU loaded the bases with no outs. After a slow hit ball to the pitcher by junior
Nate Grys, a throwing error by the Purdue catcher allowed Roche to score from second to give the Broncos a 3-2 lead.
Purdue recorded back to back hits to open up the bottom of the sixth inning and left runners on the corner with no outs. A wild pitch by senior
Jimmy Townsend-Chase scored the runner from third and tied the game before a sacrifice fly by Purdue's Evan Kennedy gave the Boilermakers their first lead of the day.
Two batters later with the bases loaded, pinch hitter Owen Jansen delivered a two RBI double down the right field line to extend Purdue's lead to 6-3. In the sixth, Purdue sent nine to the plate and scored four runs on four hits.
WMU registered its final run in the top of the seventh as Grys hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Roche from third to cut the Boilermaker lead to 6-4. Purdue responded once again with two runs in the seventh and eighth to extend its lead. Through the final four innings, Purdue scored eight runs on eight hits.
