ATHENS, Ohio – Western Michigan junior right-hander Easton Sikorski tossed a complete game two-hitter to help the Broncos knock off Ohio, 10-1, in the first game of the two teams' doubleheader on Friday. The Bobcats took the second game of the day, 12-7.  
 
FINAL SCORE (G1): Western Michigan 10, Ohio 1 (F/7)
LOCATION: Bob Wren Stadium (Athens, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (18-34, 15-22 MAC) | Ohio (27-22, 19-15 MAC)
W: Easton Sikorski (2-1) | L: Eamon Horwedel (2-1)
 
FINAL SCORE (G2): Ohio 12, Western Michigan 7
LOCATION: Bob Wren Stadium (Athens, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (18-35, 15-23 MAC) | Ohio (28-22, 20-15 MAC)
W: Braxton Kelly (6-2) | L: Jack Huisman (0-6)
 
Sikorski was dominant throughout and retired the first 20 Bobcat hitters he faced. The junior was a strike away from completing the fourth perfect game in Western Michigan program history, but a seeing-eye single made its way up the middle with two outs in the seventh to break it up. Sikorski allowed two hits over his seven-inning complete game and picked up four strikeouts. The complete game was the second of the season for WMU and third of Sikorski's career.
 
Jimmy Allen got the Western Michigan offense started with a two-run double in the top of the second, part of his career-high tying three-RBI performance in the day's opener. Allen had a hit in each contest to extend his hitting streak to 19 and on-base streak to 26, both the longest by a Bronco in 2022.
 
WMU's lead remained at 2-0 until a five-run fifth. Cade Sullivan got it started, knocking in his team-leading 50th run with a single. Dylan Nevar followed with a run-scoring double, and Ryan Missal then brought it two with a single. Josh Swinehart capped the five-run frame by scoring on a wild pitch, extending the Western Michigan advantage to 7-0.
 
The Broncos loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, and Allen was hit by a pitch to score Nevar. Justin McIntyre plated another with a sacrifice fly, and Gavin Doyle drew a bases-loaded walk to bring across WMU's 10th run of the contest.
 
In the bottom of the frame, the Bobcats picked up their lone two hits of the opener and scratched across a run before Sikorski closed the door to seal the WMU victory.
 
Western Michigan opened the scoring in game two as well, as Nevar scored on a wild pitch in the top of the second for the contest's first run.
 
Ohio evened the score briefly in the third, but Nevar knocked in a run with a single to give the Broncos a 2-1 edge heading into the bottom of the fourth.
 
The Bobcats pushed across five in the last of the fourth to move ahead, 7-2.
 
WMU came right back with four in the next half inning. Connor Charping was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Doyle drew a bases-loaded free pass, Sullivan plated a run with a sacrifice fly, and Nevar got the Broncos within one, 7-6, with his third hit of the contest, an RBI single.
 
With his bases-loaded walk in each contest, Doyle extended his on-base streak to 23 consecutive games.
 
Ohio answered with one in the bottom of the fifth, then tacked on three more in the sixth to restore its five-run cushion, 11-6.
 
Western Michigan put runners on second and third in both the seventh and eighth innings, but could not take advantage of either opportunity to draw closer.
 
After an Ohio home run in the bottom of the eighth, Swinehart closed out the day's scoring for WMU with a solo shot, his fifth of the season, in the top of the ninth.
 
The Broncos and Bobcats conclude their four-game series and the regular season on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.