EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team got out to a 3-0 lead, but Michigan State used a middle-inning surge to top the Broncos, 8-3, on Wednesday.  
 
FINAL SCORE: Michigan State 8, Western Michigan 3
LOCATION: McLean Stadium at Kobs Field (East Lansing, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (5-13) | Michigan State (11-7)  
W: Nick Powers (1-0) | L: Drew Szczepaniak (0-1)
 
The Broncos grabbed the first run of the contest in the second, as Cade Sullivan began the inning with a double, then scored when the next batter, Dylan Nevar, singled.
 
Western Michigan extended its lead to 3-0 in the fourth as it added a pair on a Jimmy Allen RBI single and Brendan Harrity sacrifice fly.
 
Luke Thelen got out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout in the bottom of the first, then proceeded to face the minimum over each of the next three innings. The right-hander did not allow a hit to the Spartans until the fifth inning. Thelen equaled his career high with five strikeouts in the contest.
 
Michigan State got on the board for the first time in the fifth, picking up three runs, one of which was unearned, to even the score at 3-3.
 
The Spartans then moved ahead with a four-run sixth and added an unearned insurance tally in the eighth.
 
Allen drew a walk to lead off the ninth inning for the Broncos, but a double play and strikeout ended the chances of a WMU comeback.
 
Western Michigan continues its stretch of five consecutive games against Big Ten opposition this weekend with a three-game series at #20 Iowa. The series opener between the Broncos and the Hawkeyes is set for 5:05 pm on Friday evening.