INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Western Michigan baseball plated one run and loaded the bases in the top of the ninth before its late rally came to an end, falling in the series finale at Butler, 7-4 on Sunday afternoon.

The Bronco offense matched Butler with 10 hits on the day with senior Nate Grys leading the way going 3-for-5. Grys earned his seventh multi-hit game of the season and fourth three-hit game.

Sophomore Blake Dunn continued his stellar start to the season with a 1-for-2 performance at the plate with a home run, one RBI, two runs scored and two walks. Dunn extended his hitting streak to 12 games and his reached base streak to 18. Senior Jesse Forestell brought around one of the four Broncos runs on the afternoon going 1-for-4 at the plate with an RBI.

In the leadoff spot for the Brown & Gold, senior Andrew Stone went 1-for-4, drawing one walk and scoring two runs. Eight of the 10 batters that stepped to the plate for WMU earned a hit in the series finale while the offense drew five walks.

WMU got a stellar performance from junior LHP Jeffery Burch who went 4.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits in 18 batters faced. Burch recorded three straight 1-2-3 innings from the second through the fourth and at one point retired 10 straight batters.

The Broncos used three pitchers in relief while the freshman duo of Easton Sikorski and Brady Miller each registered two strikeouts. On the weekend the Bronco pitcher staff amassed 29 strikeouts.

Western Michigan moves to 6-12 on the year and will be back in action on Tuesday, March 19 in Ann Arbor, Mich., for a match-up against nationally ranked Michigan. WMU then returns home for its Mid-American Conference series against Ball State, March 22-24.

It was a quick start for the Broncos who got on the board first in the top of the first. Dunn drew a one out walk before advancing to second and then to third on a throwing error by the Butler pitcher. A few pitches later the sophomore outfielder came across home plate on a wild pitch to give WMU a 1-0 lead. 

Dunn got the Broncos on the board once again in the top of the fifth, blasting a home run over the left field wall to propel WMU's lead to 2-0. Butler struck back in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single to right field with two outs to cut WMU's lead down to one.

WMU extended its lead once again in the top of the seventh thanks to a wild pitch on the mound. With two outs and runners on second and third, a wild pitch got past the Butler catcher that allowed Andrew Stone to score from third and propel the Bronco advantage to 3-1.  

In the bottom half of the inning, the Bulldogs rallied back to tie the game and ultimately take the lead with five runs on five hits. Butler followed up its big seventh inning with one more run in the bottom of the eighth to grab a 7-3 lead heading into the top of the ninth.

The Broncos looked to rally in the top of the ninth as Stone and Dunn drew walks to begin the inning allowing senior Jesse Forestell to rope a single to right field and cut into the Butler lead with no outs. WMU loaded the bases with one out before a fly out in foul ground followed by a strikeout ended the late rally.