NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Concluding play as part of the Mule Mix Classic the Western Michigan baseball team split its doubleheader on Sunday at Lipscomb defeating the Bison, 17-5 in game one before falling in game two, 13-5.

The Broncos played three games while down in Tennessee, falling at Belmont 2-1 on Thursday before their next two games at Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee were canceled due to rain. With the doubleheader split at Lipscomb, Western Michigan returns home with an overall record of 1-5.

Redshirt sophomore Logan Hudson enjoyed success at the plate during the doubleheader, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a team-high five RBIs and three runs scored. The Caledonia, Mich., native hit his first career home run in game one.

In the doubleheader the Broncos had eight players hit over .300 while sophomore Sean O'Keefe and junior Drew Devine led the team with four runs scored. As a team the Broncos had a .324 batting average with eight doubles and four home runs.

Playing three games as part of the Mule Mix Classic the Broncos hit .282 with 14 extra base hits and scored 23 runs. During the three-game stretch the WMU pitching staff amassed a 6.66 ERA with 22 strikeouts.

WMU will take its annual trip down to Florida for nine games in nine days beginning with a three-game series at South Florida, March 1-3. The Broncos will square off with St. Bonaventure, Villanova and Georgetown at the Snowbird Classic prior to ending the trip with a series at North Florida.

Game One (WMU – 17, Lipscomb – 5)
The Western Michigan offense came to life in game one of the doubleheader at Lipscomb on Sunday, scoring 17 runs on 18 hits to secure its first victory of the season. It was the first time since May 2 against Northwester the Broncos scored over 15 runs.

Sophomore Sean O'Keefe had a career day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBI. O'Keefe set single-game career-highs in hits (2), runs (3) and RBIs (4). The sophomore belted his second career home run in the top of the first to give WMU an early 4-0 lead.

Junior Drew Devine was lethal at the plate as well going 3-for-6 with three RBI's and three runs while hitting his third career home run. Senior Nate Grys was one of five Broncos to register multiple hits on the day, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and one RBI.

WMU had 11 different players register a hit in game one with nine extra base hits. With runners in scoring position the Broncos hit a staggering .429 and .467 with two outs. The 2-5 hitters for WMU led the offensive attack with a .434 batting average, 12
runs scored, 11 RBI's and two home runs.

Redshirt junior RHP Jack Szott earned his first victory of the season with another strong performance on the mound. Szott threw six innings, giving up nine hits, five runs (three earned) and struck out three. In relief redshirt junior Will Mullen and freshman
Drew Szczepaniak shut down the Lipscomb offense, throwing three scoreless innings allowing just four hits while striking out four.

After seeing its last two games be canceled due to rain the Broncos wasted no time putting runs on the board with four runs on three hits in the top of the first. After a one out walk by Jimmy Roche, Devine blasted his first home run of the season over the left field wall to give WMU an early 2-0 lead. WMU extended its lead two batters later as O'Keefe belted a two out, two run home run to left field extend the lead to 4-0.

The Broncos batted around in the top of the third scoring eight runs on seven hits to gain a 12-0 advantage. Grys began the scoring with a double to right field, scoring Devine from second. O'Keefe earned his second hit of the day with a double to center field, scoring both Grys and Forestell. On the next pitch, redshirt sophomore Logan Hudson recorded his first career home run over the left field wall to give the Brown & Gold a 9-0 lead.

Later in the third Roche double down the left field line with two outs to score Dunn and Stone. On a 1-2 count, Devine laced a single to right field, scoring Roche before being thrown out trying to swipe second base.

Lipscomb countered in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back home runs to lead off the inning before Szott settled down recording three straight groundouts. Lipscomb scored one run in the fifth and two in the sixth before being shut down by the Bronco bullpen.

WMU added one run in the fifth and sixth innings along with three runs in the top of the seventh. In the seventh, the Broncos scored three runs on three hits highlighted by senior Cooper Marshall delivering with a pinch hit two RBI double to right center field.

Lipscomb looked to rally in the bottom of the ninth with runners on first and third with one out before the Bronco defense turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Game Two (WMU – 5, Lipscomb – 13)
In game two of Sunday's doubleheader the Bronco offense was halted scoring five runs on five hits as Lipscomb defeated WMU, 13-5 to split Sunday's action.

Redshirt sophomore Logan Hudson provided an offensive spark for the Brown & Gold in game two going 1-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs, one run scored. Junior Ethan Hajdukovic had the lone home run for the Broncos, blasting a solo home run over the right field wall in the top of the sixth.

The Bronco bullpen was used early and often in game two with eight different pitchers seeing the mound. As a whole the Bronco pitching staff totaled eight strikeouts with senior Chris Modrzynski and sophomore Brenden Lovell leading the way with two apiece.

Lipscomb got off to a fast start scoring five runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning. The early scoring was highlighted by a three-run home run to gain a 5-0 advantage.

WMU was held scoreless until the top of the fourth prior to scoring four runs on three hits to cut its deficit down to one. After O'Keefe drew a walk to load the bases, a wild pitch helped Devine race from third to grab the Broncos first run of the game.

With runners on second and third, Hudson came through with a two RBI double to left center field, scoring O'Keefe and Forestell to cut into the Lipscomb lead. In the next at-bat, senior Cooper Marshall drove a ball into left field that sent Hudson racing towards home plate. At the plate, the Lipscomb catcher dropped the ball as Hudson slid to cut the deficit to one.

The Bison responded quickly with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to widen its lead to 8-4. WMU final run of the game came off the bat of Hajudkovic in the top of the sixth as the junior connected on his second career home run.

Lipscomb scored one run in the sixth and four in the eighth to secure the 13-5 victory. The game was called after the eighth inning due to travel as the Broncos make the eight-hour bus ride back to Kalamazoo from Nashville.