VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Western Michigan baseball team collected its fifth consecutive win on Tuesday as it knocked off Valparaiso, 7-3.
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 7, Valparaiso 3
LOCATION: Emory G. Bauer Field (Valparaiso, Ind.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (17-27) | Valparaiso (8-35)
W: Matt Hoover (3-0) | L: Josh Cottrill (0-4) | Save: Adam Lehmann (1)
 
After early threats on both sides were turned away, Valparaiso scratched across the game's first run in the bottom of the third.
 
Western Michigan came right back in the next half inning. Dylan Nevar led off the frame with a triple, and was then brought home by Avery Thielman to make it 1-1.
 
The Beacons regained the lead with a pair in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Once again, WMU answered right away. With two on and two outs in the top of the fifth, Michael Maloney singled the other way to bring in Diego Pena. Nevar then followed with an RBI double to even the contest at 3-3. Maloney and Nevar each had three hits in the contest, with Nevar coming up a home run shy of the cycle.
 
Matt Hoover came on in the bottom of the fifth and had a shutdown inning to get the Western Michigan offense right back out there.
 
Lucas Rick started the sixth by drilling a double to deep left center field. Grady Mee brought him home with a sacrifice fly to put the Broncos ahead, 4-3.
 
Hoover returned to the hill in the bottom half and posted another zero to keep Western Michigan in front. The junior earned his third win of the season for his 2.0 scoreless innings.
 
The Broncos added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth frames. In the seventh, Brendan Harrity worked a walk with the bases loaded to score Nevar. Tanner Mally ripped an RBI triple the opposite way in the eighth, then scored moments later on a Maloney single.
 
Adam Lehmann followed Hoover on the mound and shut the door on the Beacons with a career-high tying 3.0 scoreless innings to earn his first collegiate save.
 
The Broncos return to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field on Wednesday as they welcome Michigan State to town. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 pm. For tickets to any WMU baseball home game, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.