PHOENIX – The Western Michigan baseball team opened up its 2024 season with a 14-13 victory over Michigan in an 11-inning thriller on Friday at Camelback Ranch Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz. It marked the first time the Broncos started the season with a victory since 2011.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 14, Michigan 13 (F/11)
LOCATION: Camelback Ranch Stadium (Phoenix, Ariz.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (1-0) | Michigan (0-1)
W: Hayden Berg (1-0)
| L: Alfredo Velazquez (0-1)
It was Western Michigan's 14th win over a Big Ten team under head coach
Billy Gernon, and third of his tenure against Michigan. It was WMU's first victory over the Wolverines since 2013.
Dylan Nevar reached a team-high six times in the contest as he tied his career high with four hits, drew two walks and drove in three runs. In his Western Michigan debut,
CJ Richmond had a pair of doubles, three walks and a career-high four RBIs.
Greg Budig,
Jackson Kitchen and
Cade Sullivan all scored three times apiece for the Brown and Gold.
The Broncos were trailing 10-8 in the eighth inning when Budig belted a two-run homer, WMU's first of the new season, to tie the game at 10-10.
The contest remained tied until the top of the 10th, when Richmond plated Budig with a double to put Western Michigan in front, 11-10. The Wolverines pushed across an unearned run in the home half of the frame to send the contest into the 11th.
Western Michigan took advantage of a U-M error to tally its first run of the 11th, and then got back-to-back RBI singles from Nevar and
Luke Kerrins to extend the margin to three, 14-11. The Wolverines pushed across two more unearned runs, but
Hayden Berg stranded the potential tying run at third base to earn the win for the Broncos.
WMU wasted little time in tallying its first run of the season, as it got a two-out, RBI double from Nevar in the top of the first. Michigan answered with a run in the bottom of the frame, but
Brendan Harrity put the Broncos back in front, 2-1, with an RBI single in the second.
The Wolverines moved ahead with a pair in the fourth, but Western Michigan tied it with a run in the top of the fifth, as Sullivan raced home on a wild pitch. Michigan then climbed back in front, 6-3, with three in the bottom of the fifth.
Western Michigan wrestled the lead back with a five-run sixth. Sullivan drew a bases-loaded walk, Nevar got hit by a pitch with the bases full and then Richmond unloaded the bases with a three-run double to put the Brown and Gold back in front, 8-6.
The Broncos and Wolverines continue their four-game weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch for game one of the twin bill is set for 3 pm.
