MUNCIE, Ind. – The 2018 season came to an end for Western Michigan baseball on Saturday afternoon as the Broncos fell to Ball State, 6-4 at First Merchants Ballpark. The
Broncos finish the season with an overall record of 23-25 and 12-13 in Mid-American Conference play.

With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth and one out, Ball State's Tim Blankenberger connected on a two-run home run over the left field wall to give the Cardinals their first and only lead of the day.

WMU brought the game-tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth with one out before a strikeout and a groundout ended the Brown & Gold's season. With the loss, the Broncos miss the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2013. WMU has qualified for the conference tournament in six of the last eight seasons.

The Broncos out-hit the Cardinals on Saturday, registering eight hits with seven different players recording a hit. Junior Jimmy Roche was the lone Bronco to earn a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk and a run scored. Roche ends 2018 with 16 multi-hit games.

Junior Jesse Forestell recorded his eighth multi-RBI game of the season as the junior catcher went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. In his first at-bat, Forestell roped a two-RBI double down the left field line to give the Broncos an early lead.

As a team, WMU drew 10 walks and left 11 runners on-base as the Brown & Gold ended an inning with the bases loaded twice. Junior Nate Grys drew three of the 10 walks on the day while sophomore Drew Devine had two walks and went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Grys ends the season with a team-high 10 home runs, the first Bronco to have double digit home runs since 2009. The Madison Heights, Mich., native rocketed the most home runs by a Bronco in the BBCOR bat era, which began back in 2011.  

In his final start for the Broncos senior LHP Jacob Piechota went five innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out three. With the appearance on Saturday, Piechota is now WMU's career-leader in appearances with 87.

Redshirt senior Jimmy Townsend-Chase came on in relief and went three innings, allowing three runs on two hits.  Townsend-Chase ends 2018 with an overall record of 1-3 with seven saves which is tied for the fourth most in a single-season in school history.

The Broncos conclude 2018 with 23 wins, marking the fifth straight season WMU has recorded at least 20 wins. WMU has also clinched double digit MAC wins for the fifth year in a row, collecting 12 this season.

WMU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, scoring three runs on four hits. The Broncos loaded the bases with one out for Jesse Forestell who roped a two-RBI double down the left field line to get the Brown & Gold on the board.

Freshman Blake Dunn reached on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat before swiping second for his sixth stolen base of the season. With two outs, Drew Devine delivered with an RBI single that scored Forestell from third to extend the Bronco lead after one inning of play.

Piechota held the Cardinal offense in check through the first four innings as Ball State recorded just one hit as the senior left-hander held BSU hitless through the first 3.1 innings of work.

Ball State cut into the Bronco lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs on three hits. After a fly out for the first out of the inning the Cardinals rattled off three straight hits, two of which were doubles to cut the lead to 3-2. BSU tied the game at 3-3 the next inning thanks to a home run by Colin Brockhouse.

Western Michigan regained the lead in the top of the seventh as Blake Dunn grounded out to the BSU second baseman with the bases loaded that scored Connor Smith from third. A DeVine walk loaded the bases with two outs before a strikeout ended the scoring threat.

The bottom of the seventh inning began an hour later as a rain delay forced both teams back to the dugout. Once play resumed, the Cardinals quickly had runners on second and third with one out before a sacrifice fly to right field by Brockhouse tied the game at 4-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, BSU drew a leadoff walk before reaching second base on a sacrifice bunt. On the next pitch, pinch-hitter Tim Blakenberger belted a two-run home run over the left field wall to give the Cardinals their first lead of the day at 6-4.

WMU brought the tying run to the plate twice in the top of the ninth as Grys drew his third walk of the day with one out. With a runner on first, the Broncos ended the season with a strikeout and a groundout.