KALAMAZOO, Mich. –In his first career start in the Brown & Gold LHP Brandon Petersen threw a one-hit shutout as Western Michigan baseball defeated 10-0 in seven innings on Friday afternoon inside Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field.

In his second appearance of the season and his first career start the redshirt junior LHP Petersen threw a career-high seven innings allowing just one hit and striking out a career-high 12 batters. Petersen becomes the first Bronco pitcher to throw a complete game since Brady Miller vs. Ohio back on May 17, 2019.

Petersen walked the first batter of the game and then proceeded to retire the next 16 Akron batters. The Naperville, Ill. native gave up his lone hit in the top of the sixth inning with two outs on a soft line drive to left field. It's the first shutout for WMU since winning 12-0 last season at Alabama A&M.

Offensively for the second time this season the Broncos scored double-digit runs, scoring 10 runs on 17 hits with two doubles and two home runs. Western Michigan was stellar at the plate with two outs hitting .692 and scoring six of its 10 runs with two outs.

Western Michigan has seven players with a hit against the Zips and six with multi-hit games. Leading the way for WMU was senior Drew Devine who went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, two runs scored and one home run. It was Devine's fourth multi-RBI game of the season and just the second multi-hit performance.

Junior Ryan Missal earned his first multi-RBI game of the season going 3-for-4 with one run scored and two RBIs. In the cleanup spot for the Broncos junior Sean O'Keefe had a day at the plate going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBIs, a double and a home run.

At the top of the line-up, sophomore Jimmy Allen went 1-for-4 with one run scored while fellow sophomore Will Morrisonwent a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs scored and one double. Also going perfect at the plate on Friday afternoon was freshman Josh Swinehart who went 3-for-3.

As a team the Broncos were 10-for-20 at the plate with runners on base and 8-of-14 with runners in scoring position. Western Michigan got the lead-off runner on in every inning on Friday afternoon and was 9-for-13 with two outs in the inning.

With the win WMU improved its overall record to 4-11 and 4-5 in Mid-American Conference play. The Broncos and Zips are back in action on Saturday, April 3 with a doubleheader beginning on at 12:05 p.m.

The Broncos got on the board quickly in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs on three hits. After a lead-off single from Jimmy Allen and a hit by pitch the Broncos had runners on first and second with no outs. The next two batters flied out before Drew Devine laced a single back up the middle to score Allen and give WMU a 1-0 lead.

In the next at-bat Connor Charping laid down a perfect bunt down the left field line, scoring the runner from third and giving WMU a 2-0 advantage. The Broncos were back to work in the bottom of the third scoring two runs on four hits. WMU had runners on first and third with two outs prior to Devine delivering once again with a single through the left side to propel the Bronco lead to 3-0.

Charping rocketed a single down the left field line that placed runners on first and second with two outs for Ryan Missal. The junior outfielder came through with an RBI single to right field, scoring Devine from second to extend the Bronco lead to 4-0.

Two innings later the Broncos were right back to work scoring four runs on six hits in the bottom of the fifth. The four-run fifth inning was highlighted by Drew Devine blasting a two-run home run over the left field wall at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames field. The two-run shot was Devine's team-leading fourth home run of the season.

Junior Sean O'Keefe belted his second home run of the season over the center field wall in the bottom of the sixth to give WMU a 9-0 lead. In the top of the ninth, Charping drew a walk to lead off the inning before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Two pitches later, Missal roped an RBI single into right field to score Charping from second and secure the 10-0 victory for WMU.

BOWLING GREEN, OHIO- Ben Carew had a career day and Luke Albright pitched six strong innings as Kent State took game one of a four-game set from Bowling Green 14-1, spoiling the Falcons home opener in a game called after eight innings.

Fours were wild for Carew who went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and four runs driven in to pace the Kent State offense on Friday.

The Golden Flashes struck in each of the first two innings on Friday, giving Luke Albright an early cushion. In the top of the first, Ben Carew led off with a single and promptly stole second. After a Collin Mathews walk, Nick Elsen shot a two-out single into left to plate Carew. In the second, two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for Carew. Carew once again delivered, clearing the bases with a double to left center. Carew would move to third on a Michael Turner groundout and score on a passed ball. After two, the Flashes led 5-0.

After a Bowling Green solo homer in the second, Kent State would add to the lead again in the fourth. After Carew was hit by a pitch, Turner delivered a run-scoring triple into the right field corner. Turner would score on a sac fly moments later as the Flashes took a 7-1 lead. The top two hitters struck again in the sixth. After a single by Carew, Turner followed with a run-scoring double to right. After a single by Mathews, Turner scored on a wild pitch to make it a 9-1 game. Carew would add a fourth hit and fourth run batted in for good measure in the seventh. The Flashes would pour it on with four more in the eighth. The big blow a bases-clearing single by Mack Timbrook.

That was more than enough for starter Luke Albright. The righty was in command the entire night, going six innings allowing one run on three hits while walking two and striking out eight. He seemed to get stronger as the game went on, recording two of his strikeouts in his final inning of work. He earned his fifth victory for his efforts. Jack Zimmerman was equally dominant in relief, allowing just one hit over his two innings of work and getting five of his six outs via the strike out.

The Flashes moved to 9-11 with the win and 2-3 in conference play while Bowling Green is 8-11 and 6-3 inside the MAC. The two teams will meet tomorrow for a pair of seven inning games. First pitch is at 1:05.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Ball State baseball team got 6.0 shutout innings in a close game Friday, setting the stage for a clutch 3-run home run by Ross Messina as BSU defeated Butler 7-2 to open a non-conference series. 

The game was tighter than the 7-2 final margin, with a 2-2 tie for nearly two hours before Ball State delivered the key hits. The go-ahead run came in the top of the 8th on an RBI single from Aaron Simpson that scored pinch runner Seth Wilson. With a 3-2 lead in the 9th, Messina put it away when he pulled a no-doubter home run out to left on a 3-2 pitch to make it 6-2. Three batters later, Peltier scored from first base on a triple by Nick Powell. 

The five late runs that made the game a resounding Cards win continued a season-long trend of Ball State winning the late innings. Ball State has outscored opponents 22-7 in innings 8-9 this season. Whether that trend is a sign of maturity and experience or the character of this group - or both - is something Maloney touched on in his postgame comments.

John Baker, the active D-I leader in strikeouts making his 47th career start, was his vintage self until hitting some trouble in the 4th inning. The first four batters of that inning reached as Butler tied the game 2-2. Freshman Ty Johnson came in and had his best college game in relief. Pitching just miles from his home, Johnson went 4.1 innings with six strikeouts to earn his second career win. Tyler Schweitzer pitched to two batters then Andre Orselli slammed the door for his third save. He got five of the seven batters he faced to seal the win.
 

TOLEDO, Ohio -- The Ohio baseball team (10-9, 4-5 MAC) produced a tone-setting victory over Toledo (4-18, 2-7 MAC) in the opening game of a four-game Mid-American Conference weekend series at Scott Park, earning 13-2 run-rule win in eight innings on Friday (April 2).

The Bobcats' bats produced in a big way, with every starter recording at least one hit as Ohio pounded out 14 of them. Ohio also displayed great patience at the plate, coaxing 10 walks. The victory was punctuated by a two-out grand slam by senior center fielder Isaiah Peterson (Lincoln, Neb.) in the top of the eighth inning to give Ohio an 11-run cushion.

On the mound, junior left-handed starting pitcher Joe Rock (Aliquippa, Pa.) went the distance and struck out seven to improve to 4-1 on the season. He allowed two runs, one of which was earned on seven hits.

Ohio's hit parade was paced by graduate student third baseman Trevor Hafner (Perrysburg, Ohio), who went 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. Redshirt junior left fielder Trevor Lukkes (Tustin, Calif.) finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs while graduate student first baseman Harry Witwer-Dukes (Monmouth, Ore.) registered a pair of singles to go along with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. 

The Rockets struck first with a run in the bottom of the second, but Ohio responded by evening the score in the top of the ensuing frame. Redshirt senior shortstop Joe Weisenseel (Strongsville, Ohio) drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, took third on a passed ball and scored on a Toledo error.

The Bobcats took command of the contest in the fourth as Hafner drew a leadoff walk and scored one out later on a base hit to left by Weisenseel. Ohio did not relinquish control the rest of the way, as the Bobcats added a run to their total in each of the next two innings to expand their lead to 4-1. Witwer-Dukes led off the fifth with a single to left and then scored on a single to short by redshirt junior designated hitter Spencer Harbert (Middletown, Del.). The sixth saw Peterson draw a two-out walk and then scored on a base hit to right by Witwer-Dukes.
Ohio's lead swelled to 6-1 in the seventh as senior right fielder Sebastian Fabik (Lebanon, Ohio) and Hafner reached on back-to-back singles to lead off the inning and then both scored courtesy of a two-run double to left by Lukkes. Toledo got a run back in the home half, but the Bobcats put the contest out of reach with a seven-run eighth in which they batted around. Redshirt junior second baseman Michael Richardson (Cambridge, Md.) and redshirt senior pinch runner Devonte Washington (Twinsburg, Ohio) each scored on wild pitches, and Hafner drove in Harbert with an RBI single up the middle before Peterson came to the plate with the bases juiced and delivered what proved to be the final blow by belting a home run.

Ohio will look to build upon the big win to open the weekend when it faces Toledo in a doubleheader on Saturday (April 3). The first of two seven-inning games gets underway at noon ET. The games can be heard on WOUB 1340 AM and TuneIn and watched on ESPN3 (game one, game two). Live stats are also available.