KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team scored two in the sixth and two in the seventh on Sunday to overtake Miami, and top the RedHawks, 11-9, in the finale of the two teams' four-game Mid-American Conference series.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 11, Miami 9
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (11-21, 8-10 MAC) | Miami (14-21, 10-13 MAC)
W: Hayden Berg (3-3) | L: Ryan Starr (0-1)
Trailing 9-7 in the bottom of the sixth, Western Michigan loaded the bases with two outs for
Connor Charping, who ripped a single to center field to even the contest at 9-9.
The Broncos had the bases full again in the seventh, and a two-out Miami error allowed WMU to score a pair and regain the lead, 11-9.
Over the final two innings,
Hayden Berg retired six of the seven batters he faced to seal the victory and the series split for Western Michigan.
Miami got on the board first, plating two in the opening inning. WMU responded with three of its own in the home half, as
Dylan Nevar brought in two with a double, and
Josh Swinehart put the Broncos ahead, 3-2, with a run-scoring single.
The RedHawks regained the lead with four in the second.
In the bottom of the third,
Jimmy Allen brought
Will Morrison in with a base hit, trimming the gap to 6-4.
After a Miami tally in the top of the fifth briefly pushed the cushion back to three, 7-4, the Broncos evened it up in the bottom half with another three-run frame. Allen picked up another RBI single, and
Gavin Doyle then tied it up with a two-run knock of his own.
The RedHawks briefly moved back in front with two runs in the visiting half of the sixth before WMU rallied.
Allen paced the Western Michigan attack with a career-high four hits, while adding a pair of RBIs and scoring two runs. Swinehart equaled his career high with three hits and scored a career-best three times. Nevar reached base a total of four times, including a pair of knocks, scored twice, and drove in two runs for WMU.
Dane Armbrustmacher (5) and Berg (8) combined to strikeout 13 RedHawks, which tied Western Michigan's season high. Berg worked the final five frames, tying his career high, and kept Miami off of the board for the last three innings to earn his third win of the season. The righty's eight strikeouts established a new career high.
Western Michigan continues its homestand on Tuesday as it welcomes Ball State to town for a makeup game. First pitch between the Broncos and the Cardinals is scheduled for 4:05 pm.
