DEKALB, ILL. – After dropping the series finale 15-5 in eight innings on Sunday afternoon the Western Michigan baseball team split its weekend series with Northern Illinois inside Ralph McKinzie Field.

In the series finale the Broncos scored five runs on seven hits with six different players registering a hit. Senior Ethan Hajdukovic was the lone Bronco to record a multi-hit game while fellow senior Logan Hudson was the only Bronco to have a multi-RBI game. Western Michigan had two extra-base hits with one double and one home run.

Sophomore Jimmy Allen blasted his third home run of the season in the top of the eighth to cap off a 1-for-3 day at the plate with one home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Hajdukovic led WMU with a 2-for-4 performance. Hudson was 1-for-4 in the series finale with two RBIs and one double. Juniors Justin McIntyre and Sean O'Keefe each scored a run on Sunday with O'Keefe going 1-for-4 to finish off a stellar weekend at the plate.

Over the weekend the Broncos scored 22 runs on 33 hits with five home runs and seven doubles. As a team WMU had a .466 slugging percentage and a stellar .381 on-base percentage. WMU had five players with over a .300 batting average led by Charping who in the four-game series hit .529 with four runs scored two double and two RBIs.

It was a stellar weekend at the plate for junior Sean O'Keefe who hit .353 against the Huskies with three home runs, a team-high eight RBIs and five runs scored. O'Keefe also had a .941 slugging percentage and a .353 on-base percentage.

On the mound WMU gave up just 44 hits and 27 earned runs with 23 strikeouts. Dane Armbrustmacher led the Broncos with eight strikeouts over the weekend while posting a 1.93 ERA in 4.2 innings of work.  

Despite the series finale loss, the Broncos have now either won or split each of its last six Mid-American Conference series. Western Michigan now has an overall record of 17-21 and 16-12 in conference play. WMU returns home next weekend for a four-game series against in-state rival Central Michigan.  

The Broncos got off to a strong start in the top of the first with three runs on two hits. Western Michigan positioned runners on the corners with two outs before an NIU wild pitch scored Justin McIntyre from third to give WMU a 1-0 lead.

After a walk by Devine, Logan Hudson delivered with a bases clearing two-RBI double down the left field line to give the Brown & Gold a 3-0 advantage.

Northern Illinois responded back in the bottom of the first with three runs on two hits of its own. The Huskies capitalized off of two RBI doubles to match the Broncos after one inning of play. NIU took the lead in the bottom of the second as a home run over the right centerfield wall on the first pitch of the inning gave the Huskies a 4-3 lead.

Western Michigan got back on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, scoring one run without registering a hit. With a runner on third with two outs, Charping reached base on an error that scored Jimmy Allen from third to tie the game at four.

The Broncos added another run in the top of the eighth as Jimmy Allen belted his third home run of the season on the first pitch of the at-bat. The home run over the left field wall was the fifth run of the game for the Brown & Gold.

The Huskies opened up its lead in the bottom of the fifth with six run on five hits. NIU scores one run in the bottom of the sixth and three more in the bottom of the eighth to secure the 15-5 victory over the Broncos in the series finale.