TAMPA, Fla. – Western Michigan baseball tallied double digit hits for third time this season and scored more than five runs for the third straight game in a 9-6 loss at South Florida on Friday night to open its annual Florida spring trip.
The Broncos matched the Bulls with 12 hits and scored six runs on a USF team that previously defeated No.5 Florida and dropped a series against No .6 North Carolina by a
combined four runs.
WMU's offense was led sophomore
Blake Dunn going 3-of-4 at the plate with two runs scored. It was Dunn's fourth multi-hit game of the season while extending his hitting streak to 11 games dating back to last season.
Fellow sophomore
Sean O'Keefe registered a career-high three RBI's against the Bulls and went 2-for-4 at the plate with one double. Junior
Drew Devine continued his power presence at the plate, collecting his second home run of the season in the top of the second. With his second home run, Devine matched his season total from a year ago.
Senior
Nate Grys earned his second multi-hit game of the season with two hits in four at-bats. Grys had his lone RBI of the night in the top of the first after slapping an RBI triple to left field.
Overall eight different Broncos registered a hit with Grys, Dunn and O'Keefe each having multi-hit games. Four players earned an RBI on the night with O'Keefe leading the way with three.
Senior RHP
Chris Modrzynski dazzled on the mound throwing five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with one strikeout and no walks.
The Broncos took the lead in the top of the first, using a lead-off walk from senior
Andrew Stone and a Grys triple to score Stone from first. USF responded in the bottom half of the inning, using a three-run homerun to grab a 3-1 lead.
WMU cut into the deficit in the top of the second on a Devine home run that carried over the right field wall, the second of the season for the junior infielder. Western Michigan tied the ballgame in the top of the third after a bases loaded sacrifice fly from redshirt sophomore
Logan Hudson.
The Broncos took a 5-3 lead the next at-bat as O'Keefe smacked a double down the left field line, scoring Dunn and Forestell. The two RBI double by O'Keefe was the fourth of his career and second this season. The Bulls would cut into the Bronco lead in the bottom half of the inning, adding a run on two hits to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
South Florida threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth after a leadoff double was followed by a single moving the runner to third. The next batter flew out to Grys in left field, who then ensued to lazer the runner out at home for the double play. Modrzynski struck out the next batter to end the threat for the Bulls.
WMU added another run to their lead in the top of the fifth as Dunn lead the inning off with a single. The next batter, Dunn stole second and was moved up on a ground out to the right side of the infield. O'Keefe picked up his third RBI of the game with a single back up the middle, scoring his fellow sophomore from third to extend the Bronco lead to 6-4 through five.
Game two between the Broncos and Bulls is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, March 2. WMU now has an overall record of 1-6 on the year.
