KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team completed a three-game sweep of UMass with a 13-4 victory over the visiting Minutemen on Sunday. It marked the 200th MAC win for WMU head coach
Billy Gernon, making him the second coach in the history of Bronco baseball to reach that mark.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 13, UMass 4
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (13-12, 9-3 MAC) | UMass (5-14, 1-11)
W: Ricky Kidd (3-1) |
L: Justin Masteralexis (0-3)
The Minutemen got the day started with a run in the top of the first.
Western Michigan came right back in the home half, with
Jacob Rowold delivering an RBI single with two outs to even the contest at 1-1.
The Broncos then took the lead in the second.
Tanner Mally put WMU in front with a run-scoring base hit, and
Drew Howard then followed with a three-run homer, the first of his collegiate career, to stretch the margin to 5-1.
Mally was at it again in the third, bringing two more in with a base hit. The junior went a career-best 5-for-5 and tied his career highs in both runs scored (3) and RBIs (4).
The Broncos then broke it open with a six-run fourth. WMU opened the frame with back-to-back doubles, with
Mark Mennecke's two-bagger bringing
Michael Maloney home.
Cooper Hums and Mally each collected RBI singles, and Rowold dashed home on a passed ball. Howard then capped the frame with a two-run double to give him a career-high five RBIs for the day and stretch the margin to 13-3.
Ricky Kidd was the benefactor of Western Michigan's offensive eruption. The right-hander settled in after allowing the first-inning run, blanking the Minutemen for the remainder of his outing. He fired 6.0 innings of one-run ball, scattering four hits and striking out four to pick up his team-leading third win of the campaign.
The Minutemen plated three in the seventh to close the gap to 13-4.
Mason Pilarski and
Matt Hoover finished it out for the Broncos with scoreless eighth and ninth frames, respectively.
Western Michigan heads back out on the road next weekend for a three-game series at Central Michigan. Thursday's series opener against the Chippewas is slated for 3 pm.
