HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Gavin Doyle went deep for the second straight day, but Western Michigan dropped its series finale at Northern Kentucky, 27-4, on Sunday afternoon.
 
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky 27, Western Michigan 4
LOCATION: Bill Aker Baseball Complex (Highland Heights, Ky.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (0-6) | Northern Kentucky (6-1)   
W: Matthew Lopez (1-0) | L: Ethan Houghtaling (0-1)
 
Doyle went deep for the second consecutive day with a solo blast in the top of the first inning to give WMU the first run of the afternoon.
 
Northern Kentucky answered with a pair of grand slams in the bottom of the first as part of a 14-run frame and never looked back.
 
Western Michigan tallied single runs in the second, fourth and seventh frames. Jackson Kitchen brought in Josh Swinehart with a single in the second. Swinehart scored again in the fourth on a Brendan Harrity sacrifice fly. Kitchen came home on a wild pitch in the seventh.
 
Swinehart and Will Morrison both had multiple hits for the second consecutive day for the Broncos, while Swinehart added a scoreless inning of relief in his first appearance on the mound for Western Michigan.
 
Numerous players made their Bronco debut, as Jack Fitzharris, James Geshel, Matt Hoover, Mike Kelly, Luke Kerrins and Connor Ostrander all saw their first action in the Brown & Gold on Sunday. Hoover picked up a pair of strikeouts, while Geshel also notched his first strikeout for WMU. Kerrins drew a walk in his first collegiate plate appearance.
 
Western Michigan heads down to East Greensboro, N.C., next weekend for four games over the course of three days against North Carolina A&T and Bucknell. WMU faces N.C. A&T in its first game of the weekend on Friday at 4 pm.