TAMPA, Fla. – Highlighted by a four-run seventh inning along with double digit hits for the fourth time this season the Western Michigan baseball team dropped game two of its three-game series at South Florida, 7-6 on Saturday night.
The Broncos registered double digit hits for the third straight game and scored at least four or more runs for the fifth time this season. In the seventh inning against the Bulls the Brown & Gold collected all four runs with two outs to gain a 6-3 advantage.
Sophomore
Blake Dunn continued his hot start to the season, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and matching his career-high with three RBIs. Dunn's home run in the top of the seventh was his second of the season.
The Saugatuck, Mich., native leads the team with a .417 batting average through eight games and extended his reached base streak to 12 dating back to last season. The performance at the plate was Dunn's fifth multi-hit game on the year and second game with at least three hits.
Along with Dunn, senior
Nate Grys was hot at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Grys ranks second on the team with three multi-hit games and leads WMU with four doubles on the year. Through eight games, Grys is fourth on the team with a .303 batting average.
Redshirt junior RHP
Jack Szott dazzled on the mound for the Brown and Gold. Szott went 6.1 innings, giving up four earned runs and striking out a career-high five Bulls batters. The right hander set down 13 straight batters from the fourth inning to the second batter in the seventh inning.
The Bulls struck first in the bottom of the first, using back to back home runs to take a 3-0 lead. The Broncos answered in the top half of the second, using a walk and back to back singles to load the bases. Senior
Cooper Marshall drew an eight-pitch walk, scoring Grys from third to give the Broncos their first run of the game.
USF held a 3-1 lead until the top of the sixth before the Broncos pulled to within one scoring one run on two hits. Grys led off the top of the sixth with a double down the right field line for his fourth of the season. In the next at-bat, Dunn smacked his second hit of the game to right field and an error by the Bulls right fielder allowed Grys to score from second.
The Bronco offense exploded in the top of the seventh to grab the lead, scoring four runs with two outs on three hits. After the first two batters of the inning grounded out senior
Jimmy Roche singled through the right side before swiping second base to give WMU a runner in scoring position.
A two out walk by Forestell allowed WMU to tie the game at 3-3 as the fourth ball was a wild pitch that allowed Roche to score from second. With Grys at the plate, the Madison Heights, Mich., native delivered with a single to right field before advancing to second on an error by the USF third baseman scoring Forestell to give WMU a 4-3 lead. Four pitches later, Dunn crushed his second home run of the season over the left field wall to extend the Bronco lead to 6-3.
South Florida answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh and a two run home run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 6-6 heading into the final inning of play. USF scored the game-winning run on a softly hit fly ball that fell in between the WMU second baseman and centerfielder to secure the game two victory.
The Broncos will conclude the three-game series with the Bulls on Sunday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m. WMU will have a day off in Florida before playing three games at the Snowbird Classic beginning on Tuesday, March 5 with a doubleheader against St. Bonaventure and Villanova.
