KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Sophomore Cade Sullivan totaled four hits for the day, including a walk-off double in game one, as Western Michigan opened up Mid-American Conference play with 4-3 and 9-4 victories over Toledo on Sunday.
 
COACH GERNON ON THE SWEEP: "We've been pressing upon the guys the importance of playing great defense all year, and we did that in both games today," WMU Head Coach Billy Gernon said. "We limited free passes and gave our offense a chance to strike when the game presented itself to us."
 
FINAL SCORE (G1): Western Michigan 4, Toledo 3 (F/8)
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field
RECORDS: Western Michigan (3-11, 1-0 MAC) | Toledo (7-9, 2-3 MAC)   
W: Hayden Berg (1-2) | L: Patrick Dillon (0-1)
 
FINAL SCORE (G2): Western Michigan 9, Toledo 4 (F/7)
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field
RECORDS: Western Michigan (4-11, 2-0 MAC) | Toledo (7-10, 2-4 MAC)   
W: Brenden Lovell (1-0) | L: Brennan McCune (0-1)
 
Sullivan had two knocks in each contest for a team-high four for the day. Jimmy Allen tied his career-high with three hits in the opener, while Gavin Doyle and Brendan Harrity picked up two apiece on the finale. Connor Charping tallied a hit in each game to extend his hitting streak to 13 in a row, and his on-base streak to 25 straight. The quartet of Charping, Ryan Missal, Will Morrison and Sullivan each drove in a pair of runs for the Broncos on the day.
 
Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh in game one, Allen led off the frame with a triple, then got WMU within one after scoring on a wild pitch. Sullivan followed with a double, and then scored on a line drive single off the bat of Missal to even the score at 3-3. The Broncos loaded the bases later in the frame, but the Rockets escape further damage to send the game into extras.  
 
The Rockets got the first two on in the top of the eighth, but Hayden Berg retired the next three to keep the game even. In the bottom half, Allen found a hole with a one-out single, then flew around the bases to score the winning run on a double to the right-center field gap by Sullivan.
 
Western Michigan got on the board first in game one, as Charping opened the game for WMU with a walk, then later scored on an error. Toledo took the lead with single tallies in the second and third, and led 2-1 until tacking on an insurance run in the top of the seventh.
 
Dane Armbrustmacher turned in another strong outing for the Broncos in game one, yielding two runs on seven hits over six innings while striking out nine, one short of his career high. Berg worked the final two frames of game one to collect the victory in relief, his first win of the season.
 
The Broncos got off to an early lead in the finale as well, as Doyle brought in Charping with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the first. WMU boosted its edge to 3-0 in the second on a Charping sacrifice fly and a Toledo error.
 
The Rockets leveled the score with a three-run fourth, but Western Michigan bounced back to plate five in the last of the fifth. The Broncos opened the frame with three straight hits, with Charping tallying an RBI triple and Morrison producing a run with a single to make it 5-3.
 
After a balk gifted WMU another run, Sullivan plated Doyle with an RBI double. Missal put a cap on the five-run outburst with a single to score Sullivan. The Broncos tacked on a finally tally on a Morrison sixth-inning sacrifice fly.
 
Toledo plated one in the seventh, but Brenden Lovell retired the final three Rockets in order to seal the doubleheader sweep for Western Michigan. Lovell tossed a career-high four innings and tied his career-best with five strikeouts to collect his first victory of 2022.
 
Western Michigan and Toledo conclude their four-game series on Monday, as the two teams play another doubleheader. First pitch for game one at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field is slated for 12:05 pm.