KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team pushed across eight runs in the fifth inning on its way to a 14-5 win over Central Michigan on Friday. The win clinched WMU's sixth conference series victory of the campaign.
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 14, Central Michigan 5
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (21-28, 18-10 MAC) | Central Michigan (32-21, 18-11)
W: DJ Thompson (3-1) | L: Garrett Navarra (3-4)
 
The win was Western Michigan's eighth consecutive home victory and improved WMU's home record to 10-3 in 2023. The Broncos are 10-1 in conference play within the friendly confines of Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field this season.
 
Western Michigan's eight-run fifth inning marked its highest total in a single inning so far in 2023. WMU also totaled a season-best 18 hits, with six different Broncos recording multiple knocks in the contest.
 
Jackson Kitchen reached in all six of his plate appearances, as he racked up a career-high four hits and also drew a pair of walks. Jimmy Allen and Cade Sullivan registered three knocks and three RBIs apiece, with the trio of Will Morrison, Dylan Nevar and Josh Swinehart each tallying a pair of hits.
 
The WMU combination of Dane Armbrustmacher and DJ Thompson held Central Michigan without a hit until the fifth, when the Chippewas scratched across the contest's first run.
 
Western Michigan responded with an eight-run outburst in the bottom of the frame. Sullivan opened the barrage with a two-run double, with Allen adding two more with a two-bagger of his own. Swinehart picked up an RBI single, and Grady Mee then capped the eruption with a towering three-run homer to right.
 
The Broncos stretched their edge to 10-1 in the sixth on another Allen RBI double and a Dylan Nevar run-scoring base hit.
 
The Chippewas got one back in the top of the seventh, but Sullivan restored the nine-run cushion in the home half with an RBI single.
 
CMU put some pressure on the Broncos with three runs in the top of the eighth, but Ryan Watt came on and prevented further damage with an inning-ending strikeout.
 
Western Michigan again answered in the bottom of the inning as it pushed across three. Mee started it off with a sacrifice fly to pick up his career-high fourth RBI of the contest. Kitchen followed with an RBI double and Morrison then added an infield single which produced WMU's final run of the game.
 
Thompson picked up the victory on the mound for the Brown & Gold, as the freshman tossed a career-high six innings of relief. He limited CMU to two runs on three hits and racked up a new career-best five strikeouts.
 
The Broncos and Chippewas close out the regular season with the finale of their three-game series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm from Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field. Saturday is Senior Day for Western Michigan, with six seniors set to be honored in a pregame ceremony on the field. The ceremony is scheduled to start at approximately 12:40 pm.