KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team finished off a series sweep on Sunday afternoon as it rolled past Bowling Green, 11-3. It marked the first MAC series sweep for WMU since it swept a four-game set from Akron in April of 2021.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 11, Bowling Green 3
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (13-24, 10-7 MAC) | Bowling Green (14-22, 8-13)
W: Jake Gernon (2-1)
| L: Tyler Hays (1-4)
Dylan Nevar and
Jackson Kitchen led the WMU attack with three hits apiece. Nevar tallied a team-high four RBIs on the afternoon, while Kitchen scored three times.
Cade Sullivan went 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and three runs batted in. The junior also homered for the second straight day, his team-leading 11th long ball of the season.
Josh Swinehart added a pair of hits and three RBIs for the Brown & Gold.
It was Sullivan who got Western Michigan the early lead, as he blasted a two-run shot to left in the bottom of the first inning to jumpstart the Bronco offense.
WMU added four more in the third, as Nevar and Swinehart notched back-to-back two-run doubles to stretch the lead to 6-0.
After Bowling Green pushed across its first run in the top of the fourth, Nevar and Swinehart were at it again for the Broncos in the home half. Nevar brought two more around with a base hit, and Swinehart lined an RBI single to center field to make it 9-1.
The lead was more than enough for the WMU staff.
Joe Shapiro, who earned his first start of the season on the mound for the Broncos, limited BGSU to one run on four hits over his four innings of work.
The Falcons tallied a pair in the sixth inning to close the gap to 9-3, but
Jake Gernon came out of the bullpen to limit the damage. Gernon worked a pair of scoreless frames to earn the win in relief for Western Michigan.
WMU capped its 11-run outburst with two more insurance runs in the seventh. Kitchen ripped a double to right center which plated
Grady Mee, and Kitchen then scored later in the frame on a Sullivan sacrifice fly.
Ryan Watt dealt scoreless eighth and ninth innings to seal the victory and series sweep for the Broncos.
Western Michigan hits the road next weekend for a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Toledo. First pitch for the series opener against the Rockets is set for Friday at 3 pm.
