EAST LANSING, Mich. – Dylan Nevar totaled a career-high four hits, including a pair of home runs, and drove in five, as Western Michigan rolled to an 18-7 win over Michigan State on Wednesday evening in a non-conference tilt in East Lansing.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 18, Michigan State 7
LOCATION: McLane Stadium at Kobs Field (East Lansing, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (9-19) | Michigan State (13-16)
W: Ethan Houghtaling (1-1)
| L: Harrison Cook (0-4)
Nevar came within a single of hitting for the cycle, as the redshirt freshman had his second two-homer game of the season, a double and a triple. He also drove in five runs, one shy of his career high, and scored a career-high three times.
All 10 Western Michigan players who had an at-bat registered at least one hit, as the team posted a season-high 22 knocks. Nine of those 10 Broncos scored at least once, bringing the team within one run of its season high.
Connor Charping and
Gavin Doyle registered three hits, three runs and two RBIs apiece, with Charping also adding his team-leading 15th steal of the season.
Jimmy Allen,
Greg Budig,
Will Morrison,
Cade Sullivan and
Josh Swinehart each collected two knocks, with Sullivan driving in a career-high tying four runs.
Ethan Houghtaling picked up the win in relief for the Broncos, going two-and-a-third scoreless frames to collect the first victory of his collegiate career. In his first collegiate appearance,
Jake Gernon recorded the final out to seal the victory for Western Michigan.
The Broncos were out of the box quickly, plating seven in the top of the first. Doyle got things started for WMU, bringing home
Justin McIntyre with a single to make it 1-0. With two outs, Western Michigan put together five consecutive hits, starting with a two-run double by Sullivan. Morrison followed with a run-scoring double, Swinehart singled, Budig brought in two with a base hit, and Allen capped the seven-run outburst with an RBI double.
In the bottom of the first, Michigan State put the first two runners on against
Nick Crandell, but WMU got out of the frame unscathed courtesy of a triple play. A line drive was caught by Sullivan, who stepped on first base and threw down to Allen covering second to finish off the triple play.
The next three Western Michigan runs all came courtesy of Nevar home runs. The right fielder launched a solo shot in the second to make it 8-0, then answered a two-run third by MSU with a two-run blast in the fourth, putting WMU's edge at 10-2.
Leading 10-4, the Broncos tacked on five more in the fifth, with Budig scoring on a wild pitch, and Charping, Doyle, Nevar and Sullivan each knocking in a run.
WMU continued to add on in the seventh, as Nevar notched an RBI triple and then scored on a Sullivan single. Charping drove in the final run of the evening for the Broncos in the eighth with a double.
MSU pushed across three in the ninth before Gernon came on to record the final out for the Broncos.
Western Michigan returns to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field this weekend, as it hosts a four-game MAC series against Miami. First pitch for Friday's series opener against the RedHawks is slated for 2:05 pm.
