DEKALB, ILL. – Powered by a career day at the plate from junior Sean O'Keefe the Western Michigan baseball team won its third straight series opener 10-8 over Northern Illinois on Friday afternoon.

O'Keefe was dominant at the plate going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a career-high five RBIs and belting two home runs, a career-high. O'Keefe also matched his career-high for the sixth time with three hits against the Huskies.  The junior first baseman now ranks second on the team with five home runs this season.

Fellow junior Justin McIntyre also had a big day at the plate with a perfect 2-for-2 day with a home run, three runs scored, two walks and two RBIs. McIntyre hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning for his fourth home run of the season.

Leading off for the Broncos junior Connor Charping went a stellar 5-for-6 with one RBI and three runs scored. Charping also had one double and led the Broncos with two stolen bases. Charping is now 22-of-23 in stolen base attempts this season.

Behind Charping was junior Blake Dunn who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored. The 2019 Golden Spikes Award Watch List member also registered a team-high two walks. Senior Drew Devine also drew two walks while going 2-for-3 at the plate.

As a team the Broncos registered 10 runs on 15 hits with five extra-base hits including two home runs. It's the ninth game this season the Broncos have scored double digit runs and the 16^th game having registered double-digit hits.

Earning his first win of the season sophomore LHP Dane Armbrustmacher in relief pitched 4.2 innings allowing one earned run on two hits with a career-high eight strikeouts. Junior RHP Brenden Lovell earned his first save of the season throwing 0.2 innings, throwing four pitches and recording the final out on an NIU double play.

With the win Western Michigan has now won three straight series openers and has an overall record of 16-19 and 15-10 in Mid-American Conference play. WMU and NIU continues it series on Saturday, May 8 with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Western Michigan got the scoring going early with five runs in the first two innings of play. WMU scored three runs on three hits in the top of the first as the Broncos had runners on first and second with no outs. On the second pitch of the at-bat, O'Keefe belted his fourth home run of the season to give the Broncos a 3-0 advantage.

In the top of the second the Brown & Gold scored two runs on four hits with three of the four hits being RBI doubles. McIntyre led off the inning with a double down the left field line before advancing to third on a wild pitch. The Broncos then got back-to-back RBI doubles from Charping and Dunn to extend its lead to 5-0.

Northern Illinois stormed right back in the bottom of the second with five runs on six hits to tie the game at five. The game stayed tied until the top of the fourth when O'Keefe blasted his second home run of the game and fifth of the season to give WMU a 7-5 lead.  The Huskies tied the game once again in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run over the left field wall.

With one out in the top of the fifth, Justin McIntyre registered a two-run home run to centerfield for his fourth of the season and gave WMU a 9-7 lead. The Broncos held a two run lead until the bottom of the eighth when NIU rocketed a solo home run to right centerfield to trim the Broncos lead down to one.

In the top of the ninth the Broncos added an insurance run as Blake Dunn recorded an RBI single to give WMU a 10-8 advantage. NIU brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth before the Broncos turned a 4-6-3 double play to secure the victory.