EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. – Western Michigan junior first baseman
Cade Sullivan had five hits, including a pair of home runs, and drove in six as the Broncos defeated Bucknell, 15-5, at World War Memorial Stadium in East Greensboro, N.C., on Saturday.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 15, Bucknell 5
LOCATION: World War Memorial Stadium (East Greensboro, N.C.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (1-7) | Bucknell (2-6)
W: Dane Armbrustmacher (1-1) |
L: Will Greer (0-3)
It was the second multi-homer game of Sullivan's career, whose five hits and six runs batted in were both career highs. The junior also scored three times to equal his career-best.
The quartet of
Will Morrison,
Gavin Doyle,
Dylan Nevar and
Jimmy Allen all had a pair of knocks for Western Michigan, with Doyle scoring three times and Morrison touching home twice. It was the fourth consecutive multi-hit game for Morrison.
Bucknell used a four-run first inning to grab the early advantage, but Western Michigan quickly answered with six of its own in the bottom of the frame. With the bases loaded,
Jackson Kitchen raced home on a wild pitch, and Sullivan followed with a three-run blast to tie the game. The Broncos then picked up two more runs courtesy of an error to go in front, 6-4.
After a bumpy start,
Dane Armbrustmacher found a groove for the Broncos. A double play helped him face the minimum in the third, and began a string of 11 straight batters retired by the left-hander. The senior dealt 6.2 innings and fanned six Bison to pick up his first win of 2023.
Western Michigan tacked on to its lead in the fourth on a Doyle run-scoring double and Allen RBI single. A three-run fifth then stretched the margin to 11-4, as Morrison plated Kitchen with a base hit, and Sullivan launched his second homer of the game, a two-run shot.
Josh Swinehart went deep for the second straight day, as he blasted a two-run long ball in the sixth. Allen then notched a run-scoring base hit in the seventh, and Sullivan added his sixth RBI of the day in the eighth to round out WMU's offensive onslaught.
Behind Armbrustmacher, WMU got stellar work from
Nick Crandell and
Jake Gernon out of the bullpen. Crandell retired all four Bison he faced, and Gernon set down the side in order in the ninth while picking up a pair of strikeouts.
The Broncos wrap up their weekend on Sunday with a doubleheader. WMU is set to face Bucknell again at noon, and then takes on weekend host North Carolina A&T at 4 pm.
