HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Scoring 21 runs on 14 hits, the Western Michigan baseball team clinched a four-game series sweep of Alabama A&M with a 21-9 victory on Sunday afternoon at Bulldog Field.

The Broncos have now won four straight games and improved their overall record to 5-2. WMU is off to its best start to a season under head coach Billy Gernon, and the best start through the first seven games since going 6-1 back in 2008. For the second straight game WMU eclipsed 20 or more runs, marking the fifth time since 2008 the Broncos have done so.

In the series finale eight Broncos recorded a hit with four players earning multi-hit games.  WMU had seven players earn on RBI on Sunday with five different players registering multi-RBI games. Of WMU's 14 hits, two were for extra bases with junior Blake Dunn and senior Ethan Hajdukvoic each earning a double.

The duo of Dunn and Hajdukovic combined for eight RBIs in the series finale as Hajdukovic was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs, a double and two runs scored. Dunn was 1-for-5 with four RBIs and one run scored.

In the leadoff spot, junior Connor Charping continued to swing a hot bat going 2-for-3 with two walks, two RBIs and four runs scored. Charping also recorded two stolen bases as WMU totaled six stolen bases for the game. Junior Justin McIntyre also had two stolen bases to go along with a 2-for-2 performance at the plate with one RBI and three runs scored.

Junior Sean O'Keefe ranked second on the team with three RBIs as the Saline, Mich., native went 1-for-3 with four runs scored. Hitting in the eight spot sophomore Gavin Doyle registered a 2-for-6 day at the plate with two RBIs and one run scored. Doyle added to the WMU stolen base total, earning two in the series finale.

On the mound the Broncos used five different pitchers on Sunday totaling seven strikeouts. Junior RHP Jack Huisman earned his first win of the season pitching three innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits with two strikeouts.

It was an offensive explosion for the Broncos in the four-game series sweep, totaling 77 runs on 53 hits with 18 extra-base hits. WMU posted a .519 slugging percentage and a .505 on-base percentage against Alabama A&M while registered a staggering 23 stolen bases. The Bronco pitching staff was dominant as well recording a 2.53 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 32 innings. WMU pitchers held Alabama A&M hitters to just a .238 batting average in the four games. Every Bronco that went to the plate over the weekend registered an RBI.

In the four-game series Gavin Doyle led the Broncos with nine RBIs while registering a .313 batting average with one double, one home run and seven runs scored. Senior Ethan Hajdukovic led the Broncos with a .474 batting average with eight RBIs, seven runs scored, three doubles, a triple and a home run.

Junior Connor Charping over the weekend scored 12 runs to lead the team while going 5-of-13 (.385) at the plate with five RBIs. Charping was also a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts against the Bulldogs.  Fellow junior Sean O'Keefe ranked second on the team with 10 runs scored while earning a .313 batting average and a .625 slugging percentage.

Golden Spikes Award watch list member Blake Dunn was stellar at the plate with a .385 batting average while securing eight RBIs and eight runs scored. Dunn was lethal on the base paths going a perfect 4-for-4 and now has six on the season. Sophomore RHP Easton Sikorski led WMU on the mound with 10 strikeouts in a 12-0 victory in game two on Saturday. Sikorski went a career-high eight innings, allowing no runs on two hits for his second win of the season.

Western Michigan hits the road next weekend for a match-up against nationall ranked Louisville Feb. 28 – March 1. It's the first time the two programs will square off since meeting in the NCAA Regional opener back in 2016. It will be the first three-game series between the Broncos and Cardinals since 2014 when WMU dropped the first two games of the series before earning a 4-2 win in the series finale.

For the fourth game in a row the Broncos got on the board first scoring 11 runs on six hits to gain a 11-0 advantage. All 11 of WMU's runs game with two outs as the Broncos batted around in the top of the first. The big-inning for the Broncos was aided by five singles and one double while drawing six walks.

Alabama A&M responded in the bottom half of the inning posting five runs on six hits to trim the Bronco lead down to 11-5. The Bulldog inning was highlighted by a two RBI single for its first two runs of the game followed by an RBI double to right field.
Western Michigan posted three more runs in the top of the second to widen its lead to 14-5. The Broncos had runners on first and second with two outs prior to an RBI single by redshirt junior Logan Hudson to extend the Bronco lead. A batter later, O'Keefe roped a two RBI single to propel WMU to a 14-5 advantage.

The Bulldogs responded with in the bottom of the third as Alabama A&M registered back-to-back RBI single to cut the Bronco lead down to 14-7. It didn't take long for WMU to gain a run back as O'Keefe scored on a passed ball to give the Brown & Gold a 15-7 advantage. Blake Dunn recorded a sacrifice fly to score sophomore Will Morrison from third in the top of the fifth to give WMU at 16-7 lead.

Alabama A&M answered back in the bottom of the fifth scoring two runs on two hits to trim its deficit down to seven. With runners on second and third with one out the Bulldogs got a two RBI single from Sam Mickels for its eighth and nine runs of the ballgame.

Western Michigan extended its lead in the late innings scoring four runs in the sixth and one run in the seventh to secure the 21-9 victory.