KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Graduate student shortstop
Michael Maloney hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete Western Michigan's 11-10 come-from-behind victory over Miami on Sunday.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 11, Miami 10
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (22-20, 16-11 MAC) | Miami (32-15, 19-8)
W: DJ Thompson (3-1) |
L: Austin Berggren (2-4)
Miami grabbed the early advantage, taking a 7-1 lead in the game's first three innings.
Connor Ostrander got WMU started on the comeback trail with a lead-off solo home run in the fifth. He and the Broncos then tallied three more in the sixth. Ostrander worked a bases-loaded walk to score a run,
Mason Pilarski picked up his second RBI of the day with a hit by pitch and
Jacob Rowold then raced home on a wild pitch to trim the margin to 7-5.
The RedHawks picked up a run in the seventh and then a pair of unearned tallies in the eighth to build their cushion back to five, 10-5.
In the bottom of the eighth,
Diego Pena launched a three-run homer, his first as a Bronco, to once again bring Western Michigan to within two.
DJ Thompson faced the minimum in the top of the ninth, having a double play turned behind him to get the WMU offense right back out there.
In the home half, two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out for Western Michigan.
Cooper Hums then worked a free pass, trimming the deficit to one.
Drew Howard followed with a ground ball, and hustled down the line to beat the throw from second and prevent a game-ending double play, while also allowing Pilarski to score the tying run. The next batter up was Maloney, who singled to shallow center to bring Pena in to score the winning run. It was WMU's first walk-off victory since
Dylan Nevar hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning to beat Michigan State on May 7, 2025.
Western Michigan hits the road for its next four contests, starting Wednesday evening with a trip to East Lansing to battle Michigan State. First pitch is set for 6:02 pm on
B1G+.
