BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Western Michigan pitching staff racked up a season-high 15 strikeouts in a 5-2 setback at Bowling Green on Friday night.
FINAL SCORE: Bowling Green 5, Western Michigan 2
LOCATION: Steller Field (Bowling Green, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (22-22, 16-12 MAC) | Bowling Green (18-30, 11-17)
W: Ethan Stade (3-4) |
L: Zach Vriesenga (2-5)
Starter
Zach Vriesenga got the Western Michigan staff started, striking out six in the first three innings and collecting a career-high eight for the contest.
Matt Hoover followed and fanned three of the four batters he faced, including striking out the first Bowling Green hitter he saw to get the Broncos out of a jam in the fifth.
Adam Lehmann then notched four strikeouts in his 2.0 scoreless innings of work. The 15 strikeouts were the most for the WMU staff in a single game since picking up 15 in a win at Miami on April 2, 2023.
Bowling Green notched the game's first run in the bottom of the first.
The score remained 1-0 until the hosts pushed across three more in the fourth.
Lucas Rick led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to get Western Michigan on the board, his second home run in as many games.
The Falcons came right back with one in the home half to restore their four-run edge, 5-1.
After stranding a couple of runners in scoring position in the seventh, WMU did pull one back in the eighth.
Tanner Mally singled with two outs, went to third on an error and then scored on a wild pitch to close the gap to 5-2, but the Brown and Gold could not get any closer.
The Broncos and Falcons continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch set for 3 pm on
ESPN+.
