DEKALB, Ill. – Western Michigan baseball picked up its first Mid-American Conference series victory of the year after a 10-4 win over Northern Illinois on Sunday at Ralph McKinzie Field.
In game three the Broncos scored 10 runs on 17 hits, marking the second most runs scored in a game this season for the Brown & Gold. It's the second time this year WMU has registered double digit runs while also tying its season-high in hits.
It was a historic day at the plate for junior
Connor Smith who tied a school record by going 6-for-6 at the plate to go along with four RBIs and one run scored. Smith set a new career-high in hits and tied the school record with Adam Rosales in 2005 and Jeff Thrams in 1986 with the six-hit performance.
On the weekend, Smith had a .571 batting average with four RBIs and two runs scored. The Midland, Mich., native had a .571 slugging percentage and .600 on-base percentage while having zero strikeouts in 14 plate appearances.
WMU earned its first MAC series victory of the season and has now won its first MAC road series for the eighth year in a row.
Along with Smith, freshman
Blake Dunn and junior
Conner Henderson each recorded multi-RBI performances on Sunday. Dunn went 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Henderson went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Junior
Nate Grys continued his stellar play at the plate going 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in game three. Overall, WMU had seven players have a hit on Sunday and five had multi-hit games.
On the mound the Brown & Gold used three pitchers with junior
Chris Modrzynski earning the starting nod. Modrzyski went 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three. In relief, redshirt senior
Jimmy Townsend-Chase earned his fifth save of the season going 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out four.
Redshirt sophomore
Jack Szott claimed his first victory of the season after throwing 0.2 innings of scoreless work and allowing just three hits.
In the three-game series, the Bronco offense hit a staggering .303 with six players having a batting average over .300. The junior duo of Smith and Grys led WMU with four RBIs over the weekend.
The Broncos improve their overall record to 13-15 and 3-6 in MAC play. Western Michigan returns home for a season long eight-game home stand beginning on Friday, April 13 versus Bowling Green.
WMU got on the board first in the top of the second, scoring four runs on three hits. A one out walk by freshman
Sean O'Keefe loaded the bases for the Broncos before junior
Conner Henderson roped a two RBI double down the right field line to give WMU a 2-0 lead.
The next at-bat saw Smith lace a two RBI single to center field to extend the Bronco lead, scoring Henderson and sophomore
Drew Devine.
Smith and the Broncos were back on the board again in the top of the fourth as the junior infielder connected on his third hit of the day to centerfield. Smith scored Henderson from second to give WMU a 5-0 advantage.
The Bronco offense continued to dominate NIU pitching as WMU scored one run on three hits in the top of the fifth. With runners on first and third and one out, freshman
Blake Dunn singled back up the middle to score junior
Jimmy Roche from third and extend the lead.
NIU cut into the Bronco lead in the bottom of the fifth scoring two runs on three hits. The Husky inning was highlighted by an RBI triple to left center field by Hunter Bross. Bross scored a batter later after NIU's Samuel Vega hit an RBI single to left field.
In the seventh, the Brown & Gold scored two runs on two hits as Dunn earned his second RBI of the day on a single to left field scoring Grys from third. With one out, freshman
Ethan Hajdukovic recorded a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Devine from third to give WMU an 8-2 lead.
After scoring in the eighth, WMU held a 9-2 advantage before NIU's Tommy Szczasny blasted a two-run home run over the right field wall. At 9-4 the Broncos added one more run in the top of the ninth off the bat of Smith.
Smith recorded his record-tying sixth hit of the game with two outs in the ninth, scoring Hajdukovic from third to give WMU a 10-4 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, NIU recorded one hit but it wasn't enough as Townsend-Chase struck out Hunter Bross to end the game and give WMU its first series victory of the year.
