OXFORD, Ohio – With the scored tied in the top of the tenth inning, freshman Josh Swinehart belted his first career home run to lift the Western Michigan baseball team past Miami 3-2 on Saturday night inside McKie Field at Hayden Park.

The ten inning win marked the seventh straight victory for the Broncos, the longest winning streak since winning nine in a row back in 2006. The seven straight wins is also the most under head coach Billy Gernon. With the win WMU claimed its first series over Miami since 2017.

Western Michigan scored three runs on six hits on Saturday night while holding Miami to two runs on just three hits. WMU had six players register a hit against the RedHawks with junior Sean O'Keefe and Swinehart each earning RBIs.

On the mound the Broncos were guided by the duo of sophomore RHP Easton Sikorski and senior RHP Will Mullen. The duo allowed just three hits in 10 innings while striking out a staggering 13 Miami batters. For the second straight night Mullen got the win out of the bullpen to improve his record to 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA.

Swinehart belted his first career home run in the top of the tenth to give WMU a 3-2 lead and finish off a 1-for-3 night at the plate with one run scored and one RBI. Joining
Swinehart in the RBI department was O'Keefe who went 1-for-4 with one RBI. O'Keefe tied the game at two with an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning.

Junior Justin McIntyre continued his hot streak at the plate scoring one run to go along with one walk and one stolen base. Sophomore Jimmy Allen scored a run for the Broncos while also drawing a walk in the Saturday night victory.

RHP Easton Sikorski was dominant through six innings for Western Michigan allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out nine batters, one shy of matching his career-high. Mullen in four innings of work held Miami hitless and registered four strikeouts in 16 batters faced.

With the win the Broncos now have an overall record of 10-11 and a Mid-American Conference record of 10-5. Western Michigan seeks its second straight four-game series sweep on Sunday, April 11. First pitch against the RedHawks is set for 1:00 p.m.

It was a pitcher's duel during the early portion of Saturday's contest as WMU and Miami combined for just two hits during the first five innings of play. The Broncos got on the board first in the top of the sixth as Jimmy Allen scored on a wild pitch to give WMU a 1-0 lead. In the sixth the Broncos scored one run on no hits, capitalizing on back-to-back wild pitches.

Miami responded in the bottom of the sixth with two runs on two hits to gain a 2-1 advantage. The Brown & Gold responded right back in the top of the seventh with one run on two hits. Justin McIntyre stole second with one out before O'Keefe rocketed an RBI single to score McIntyre and tie the game at two.

WMU and Miami remained scoreless until the top of the tenth when Swinehart belted a home run over the left field wall on a 1-0 count to give the Broncos a 3-2 lead.  The home run was Swinehart's first of his career

In the bottom of the tenth the RedHawks registered a one out walk prior to a fly ball to WMU shortstop Drew Devine and a fielder's choice that secured WMU's 3-2 victory.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University baseball team earned a hard-fought doubleheader split at Central Michigan University on Saturday (April 10). Both contests of the Mid-American Conference series were hosted at CMU's Theunissen Stadium. The Falcons won the first game, 3-2, before dropping the night cap by a score of 1-0.
 
Following today's action, the Falcons own a league record of 7-7 (9-15 overall). CMU, picked to win the regular-season title in the MAC's preseason poll, moves to 15-9 (7-3 MAC) after the pair of games.
 
Andrew Abrahamowicz earned a complete-game victory in the first game of the day. The right-hander was dominant over seven innings of one-run ball. Abrahamowicz nearly tossed a no-hitter, allowing just one hit on the afternoon, which went for a two-run home run with two outs in the top of the first inning. Abrahamowicz struck out three and picked up his third win of the season.
 
BGSU scored all of its run on the day with a clutch three-spot in the top of the fourth. After Tyler Haas tied the game with a two-run double, Nathan Rose drove home the game-winning run with a single into centerfield.
 
Rigo Ramos and Griffin Parrill combined for one-run over eight innings in the night cap. Parrill recorded two-straight outs in the seventh to leave the bases loaded, and then blanked the Chippewas in the eighth. Ramos gave the Orange and Brown another strong start on the mound, allowing just one run and four hits across 6.1 innings of work. The southpaw fanned one and worked around three walks.
 
The series concludes with a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday (April 11). The first game of the day will be seven innings, and the series finale is scheduled for nine innings.

AKRON, Ohio - The Ball State baseball team outscored Akron 14-2 to sweep both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday and clinch another series win. BSU has won seven games in a row and heads into Sunday's action having moved into first place in the conference standings.

"Our guys continue to battle and show their grit," head coach Rich Maloney. "We have a competitive group who play for one another. We got contributions from a lot of different guys."

Over the two games, Ross Messina and Adam Tellier each had three RBIs while Tellier and Aaron Simpson scored three runs apiece. Justin Conant had a team-high four hits, a sacrifice and a walk on the day.

Game 1 (Ball State 4, Akron 2 (9 innings)) - GAME 1 BOX SCORE (PDF)
Chayce McDermott threw eight strong innings in the scheduled 7-inning game, outlasting Akron and allowing Ball State to find the winning runs in the 9th. McDermott allowed just two runs on four hits and retired 24 of the 30 batters he faced. The game was tied 2-2 for much of the day when pinch hitter Cade Fitzpatrick delivered a clutch double. He scored on a single by Tellier, who would steal 3rd base and score on a sac fly off the bat of Messina. Andre Orselli worked a clean bottom of the 9th for his fourth save. 

Akron managed four hits on the day but hung tight with BSU behind starting pitcher Taed Heydinger. Heydinger pitched into the 7th and allowed just one earned run. Akron matched its hits total by committing four errors in the game. 

Game 2 (Ball State 10, Akron 0 (7 innings)) - GAME 2 BOX SCORE (PDF)
Ball State manufactured a big inning in the top of the 2nd to put the game out of reach early as Lukas Jaksich cruised to lead Ball State to a shutout win. 

The Cardinals scored five runs without getting a hit in an inning that featured five walks, two hit batters and a wild pitch. That was way more than Jaksich would need, as the left worked a clean five shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Trennor O'Donnell got the last six outs in the easy win. 

Messina clubbed an opposite-field solo homer in the 4th inning and Simpson pulled a pitch over the fence in left in the 5th inning. Simpson also homered in Friday's win. Two more walks in the 6th inning led to Ball State runs as Trenton Quartermaine delivered a 2-RBI single. Tellier tacked on an RBI double in the 7th to make it a double-digit day for BSU, which clinched the series and has only lost one series all season.

It was Ball State's third shutout of the season. BSU has allowed three or fewer runs in 16 of its 27 games this season. 

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio baseball team (14-11, 8-7 MAC) earned its first Mid-American Conference series win of the 2021 season courtesy of a pair of walk-off wins in extra innings over Eastern Michigan (8-16, 4-11 MAC) on Saturday (April 10) at Bob Wren Stadium.

Senior left fielder Sebastian Fabik (Lebanon, Ohio) scored from third base on an Eastern Michigan throwing error with two out outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of game one to push the Bobcats to a 4-3 win, then senior first baseman Aaron Levy (Cincinnati, Ohio) clinched the series for Ohio courtesy of a leadoff home run to left in the bottom of the 10th to lift Ohio to a 2-1 triumph over the Eagles in game two of the twin bill.

Game One: Ohio 4, Eastern Michigan 3 (nine innings)
The Bobcats weathered a rocky start to game one of the doubleheader as Eastern Michigan pushed across two runs on one hit and two Ohio errors in the first. Junior right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Kelly (Ulysses, Ky.) registered his second strikeout to end the frame, however, to end the top half of the inning and force the Eagles to strand a pair of runners.

Ohio wasted little time getting back into the game, knotting contest at two-all in the home half of the first. Senior center fielder Isaiah Peterson (Lincoln, Neb.) led off with a single to right, and one out later graduate student third baseman Harry Witwer-Dukes (Monmouth, Ore.) evened the score with a two-run home run to left.

Peterson gave Ohio a 3-2 lead in the third thanks to a one-out solo home run to center, but the Eagles tied the game up in the sixth on an RBI ground out.

Both teams stranded a runner in the seventh, moving the game to extra innings. The Bobcats left a pair of runners on in the eighth but pulled off the victory in the ninth as Fabik delivered a leadoff double down the right field line and later scored on the two-out throwing error that occurred when Eastern Michigan junior right-handed reliever Zach Fruit misfired on the throw over to first after fielding a chopper back to the mound by senior catcher Tanner Piechnick (Canonsburg, Pa.).

Kelly gave the Bobcats five strong innings, striking out seven while two unearned runs on four hits and three walks. He was relieved by senior right-hander Edward Kutt IV (Westlake, Calif.), who worked four innings and fanned four while giving up one earned run on four hits and a walk.
 
Game Two: Ohio 2, Eastern Michigan 1 (ten innings)
Levy delivered the knockout punch in the 10th to put an end to a pitcher's duel in game two.
Eastern Michigan once again struck first thanks to a home run to lead off the second, but the Bobcats once again answered quickly as senior shortstop Treyben Funderburg (Beavercreek, Ohio) belted a two-out solo shot over the left field wall to tie it up.

What followed the round trippers for each team was six-and-a-half scoreless innings of baseball in which Ohio and Eastern Michigan combined for six hits. Freshman right-handed starting pitcher Logan Jones was masterful for the Bobcats, striking out four while allowing only one earned run on two hits over 7.2 frames. After a pair of Eagles reached base in the top of the eighth, he was lifted for senior left-handed reliever Brett Manis (Port Huron, Mich.), who secured the final out of the inning by inducing a force out at second.

Ohio had a pair of runners in scoring position with just one out in the ninth but could not push across the winning run. Fortunately for the Bobcats, Manis retired Eastern Michigan in order in the 10th, setting the stage for Levy's heroics in the home half.

Ohio will go for a four-game series sweep of Eastern Michigan when the two squads square off in the Sunday (April 10) series finale at The Wren. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
 
The Rockets plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the win.

With the contest even at four-all in the top of the sixth, redshirt senior shortstop Joe Weisenseel (Strongsville, Ohio) scored on a wild pitch with two outs to give Ohio a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, Toledo countered with a pair of runs in the home half to earn the win.

Hafner and redshirt junior right fielder Spencer Harbert (Middletown, Del.) each homered for Ohio while Weisenseel recorded a pair of singles to lead Ohio at the plate.

Ohio will look to clinch the series win when it squares off against Toledo in the series finale on Sunday (April 4) at 1 p.m. ET

KENT, OHIO-The Golden Flashes and Rockets traded comebacks on Saturday in an action packed double header with both teams winning a 9-8 ball game. 

GAME ONE: Kent State 9 Toledo 8
Toledo jumped out early on game one starter Colin Romel. A run-scoring double by Scott Mackiewicz made it 1-0 Toledo in the second and the Rockets would make it 4-0 with a three-run third. The Flashes cut the lead in half with a two-out two run rally in the third. Nick Elsen was hit by a pitch to get things started. Cam Touchette singled to left and a wild throw from the Toledo outfield that ended up down the right field line. The error scored Elsen and allowed Touchette to advance to third, Michael McNamara drove in Touchettte to make it 4-2. 

Toledo added to their lead in the sixth, getting a two run single from Chris Meyers against Aidan Longwell to make it 6-2. The Flashes went to work in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, the Flashes strung together five-straight singles to score three times and cut the lead to 6-5. Ben Carew then grounded into a fielder's choice, but the return throw to first was wild, Justin Kirby scored to tie the game and Carew ended up on second. Michael Turner then doubled home Carew, Collin Mathews tripled home Turner and Justin Miknis singled home Mathews. Kent State scored seven time on eight hits to lead 9-6 heading into the seventh. 

The Rockets would not go quietly. John Servello hit a one-out, two-run homer off Ryan Lane to make it 9-8. Jack Zimmerman relieved Lane and the Rockets would get two singles and a walk to load the bases. Chris Meyers then struck out on a 2-2 fastball and Zimmerman collected his fourth save of the season and preserved the 9-8 win. 

GAME TWO: Toledo 9 Kent State 8
Richie Dell got the game two start and he was rudely greeted by Meyers. Meyers hit his MAC leading 10th homer of the season over the left field wall in the first. The two-run shot gave the Rockets the early lead. Kent State got a run back in the second, a double down the left field line by Elsen scored Touchette. The Flashes tied it in the third, after a Miknis walk, Touchette split the right-center gap for a run-scoring triple to tie the game at two. The Rockets see-sawed back into the lead in the fourth on another two-run homer, this one off the bat of Mason Sykes to make it 4-2. Toledo thought they had broken the game open in the fifth with Danny O'Brien hitting a three-run homer to make it 8-2 and capping a four-run inning. 

This time it was the Flashes who would not go quietly into the night, with the first six batters reaching safely on five singles and a bases-loaded walk to make it 8-6. A wild pitch scored Elsen to make it 8-7 and Carew singled to tie the game at 8. Niether team threatened in the sixth and the Rockets manufactured the game-winning run in the seventh. Meyers was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a hit-and-run single from Danny O'Reilly. Meyers would score on a sac fly to right to re-take the lead at 9-8. The Flashes couldn't touch righty Jordan Power last night and today was no exception. Power came in and worked a three-up, three-down ninth as Kevin Dobos flew out to the warning track to end game two. 

The split leaves Kent State at 13-13 on the season and 6-5 in the MAC. Toledo is now 8-20 and 6-9 in the MAC. The Golden Flashes will vie for the split in tomorrow's finale. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

CARBONDALE, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team scored a season-high 12 runs on 13 hits Saturday afternoon against the Southern Illinois Salukis at Itchy Jones Stadium, but SIU scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth to come from behind and win 13-12.
 
Eight of the nine Huskies in the lineup had a hit on the day. The leadoff man and designated hitter Nick Drobushevich (Moline. Ill./Moline) had a team-high three hits and drove in two runs. Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School), Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) and Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) each had two hits with Smith adding two RBI. Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) was 1-for-3 and had a career-high four RBI.
 
"It was a day to score runs, given the conditions," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We jumped out early and did a good job to add on as the game went on. Unfortunately in wasn't enough today."
 
NIU (5-20) trailed 3-1 before exploding for six runs in the top of the fourth. Smith led off the inning with a home run to make the score 3-2. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) then singled to right center. Morgan Holmes (Minneapolis, Minn./Des Moines Area C.C.) put the Huskies ahead 4-3 with his first career home run, a two-run shot over the left field fence. After back-to-back singles from Erato and Peters, a squeeze bunt from Jack Blazevich (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) scored Erato from third and made the score 5-3. NIU put two more runs on the board on a Joyce RBI groundout and an RBI single from Smith to go ahead 7-3.
 
The Huskies tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth on a two-out, two-run single by Joyce to take a 9-3 lead. SIU closed within two runs in the bottom of the sixth when a three-run home run from Philip Archer and a solo shot from Cody Cleveland made the score 9-7. The Huskies answered the Salukis' four runs with three in the top of the seventh, as a two-run double off the bat of Drobushevich put NIU ahead 12-7.
 
SIU (22-6) got within four runs on a J.T. Weber sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 12-8. The Salukis cut the deficit to two, 12-10, in the eighth on RBI singles from Tony Rask and pinch-hitter Brad Hudson. A Tristan Peters sacrifice fly then made it a one run game as Walters came home to put the score at 12-11. Weber put the Salukis 13-12 with a two-run double down the left field line with two outs. The Huskies got the tying run on base in the ninth but could not get the run across.
 
Weber and Archer both had three RBI for SIU. Trey McDaniel earned the win for the Salukis, allowing one unearned run over 2.2 innings with three strikeouts.
 
The Huskies and Salukis meet again on Sunday at 1 p.m.