LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In game two of its three-game series on Saturday the Western Michigan baseball team fell to No.3 Louisville, 9-1 inside Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Broncos registered one run on three hits in game two of the series with four runners left on base. Juniors Connor Charping and Sean O'Keefe each had a hit on the day along with freshman Greg Budig.

Charping led the Broncos offensively with a 1-for-4 performance at the plate and scored the lone run in the top of the fourth inning. With his single in the top of the fourth inning, Charping extended his reached base streak to nine games.

Junior Blake Dunn registered the lone RBI for the Broncos on the day with a ground out in the fourth inning that scored Charping from third. Dunn now ranks second on the team with nine RBIs through the first nine games of the season.

On the mound the Broncos were led by sophomore RHP Easton Sikorski who went four innings allowing three earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Sikorski retired the first seven batters he faced on Saturday and of his 71 pitches, 42 were for strikes.

Junior RHP Jack Huisman was stellar for WMU out of the bullpen throwing three innings, allowing no runs on just one hit while striking out a career-high five batters. In relief of Huisman, senior RHP Zach Mehelich threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout.
On Saturday the Bronco pitching staff struck out nine Louisville batters.

The Broncos and Cardinals conclude their three-game series on Sunday, March 1 with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. Senior RHP Tyler Thorington (0-1, 13.50 ERA) is scheduled to start for Western Michigan.

Neither team registered a hit through the first two innings before Louisville got on the board with six runs on two hits in the bottom of the third. The Louisville offense was aided by three Bronco errors with all six of Louisville's runs coming with two outs in the inning.

The Broncos got a run on the board in the top of the fourth as Connor Charping led off the inning with a hard hit single to third base. Charping then advanced to second after a balk to give WMU a runner in scoring position. Junior Justin McIntyre registered a 12 pitch walk the next at-bat to give the Broncos two runners on base prior Charping and McIntyre advancing to second and third on a passed ball.

On a 3-2 count Blake Dunn laced a ground ball to the Cardinal second baseman that scored Charping from third and gave WMU its lone run of the ballgame. Louisville countered in the bottom half of the fourth with a three-RBI double down the left field line to widen its lead to 9-1.

WMU looked to score again in the top of the seventh as junior Sean O'Keefe laced a one out single back up the middle. After a fly out to left field O'Keefe advanced to second on a wild pitch prior to another single up the middle by freshman Greg Budig to give WMU runners on the corners with two outs. The scoring threat was halted in the next at-bat as a strikeout ended the inning.