OXFORD, Ohio -  The Western Michigan baseball team defeated Miami 9-0 in game one and 4-3 in game two to sweep Friday’s doubleheader against the RedHawks inside McKie Field at Hayden Park.  

In the doubleheader sweep the Broncos outscored Miami 13-3 and registered 16 hits to Miami’s six. With the pair of victories Western Michigan extended its winning streak to six games and has outscored its opponents 46-11 during the six-game stretch.  

Against the RedHawks on Friday the Broncos hit .267 as a team with redshirt freshman Will Morrison leading the way going 5-for-8 at the plate with two doubles and three runs scored. Alongside Morrison was junior Connor Charping who hit .333 on Friday with two runs scored and one home run while registering a team-high five RBIs.  

On the mound the Broncos used just four different pitchers, compiling a staggering 1.93 ERA and holding Miami batters to a .130 average. The quartet of Brandon Petersen, Ryan Watt, Will Mullen and Brady Miller combined to strike out 14 batters and allowed just three earned runs on six hits.  

Riding a six-game win streak Western Michigan now has an overall record of 9-11 and a Mid-American Conference record of 9-5. The Broncos and RedHawks play game three of their four-game series on Saturday, April 10 with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.  

Game One (Western Michigan – 9, Miami – 0)
An hour weather delay didn’t silence the Bronco offense in game one on Friday afternoon as the Western Michigan baseball team won its fifth game in a row with a 9-0 shutout over Miami.  

The Broncos scored nine runs on 12 hits while holding the Miami offense to no runs on two hits. It’s the second time this season the RedHawks have been shutout. WMU had seven players register a hit against the RedHawks with three earning multi-hit games.  

It was another dominant performance on the mound for reigning MAC Pitcher of the Week, senior LHP Brandon Petersen. Petersen threw five innings, allowing no earned runs on two hits while striking out four in 17 batters faced. Over the past two outings Petersen has allowed no runs on just three hits.  
At the plate WMU was led by redshirt freshman Will Morrison who went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot with two runs scored and one stolen bases. Behind Morrison was senior Connor Charping who went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a home run. Charping’s home run in the top of the sixth was his first of the season.  

Fellow junior Justin McIntyre was dominant at the plate as well going 1-for-2 with one run scored, one walk, two RBIs and a home run. McIntyre belted a two-run home run in the top of the fifth for his third of the season.  

Also in the multi-hit department was junior Sean O’Keefe with a 2-for-4 performance with one run scored. Returning to the starting line-up, senior Ethan Hajdukovic went 1-for-4 with one stolen base and two runs scored.  

It was a scoreless contest between WMU and Miami through three innings. Petersen shut down the RedHawk offense as Miami registered its first hit in the bottom of the third inning with one out.  

The Broncos got on the board in the top of the fourth with two runs on two hits while capitalizing on two Miami errors. WMU had runner on first and third with one out before an RBI single by freshman Josh Swinehart gave WMU an early 1-0 lead. The Brown & Gold added to their lead an at-bat later as an error by the Miami catcher allowed Hajdukovic to score and give WMU a 2-0 advantage.  

WMU continued to score in the top of the fifth with three runs on three hits. Connor Charping brought home Morrison on a single to left field to extend the Bronco lead. In the next at-bat, Justin McIntyre blasted a two-run home run over the left center field wall to extend the Bronco lead to five.  

It was more of the same in the top of the sixth as WMU scored two runs on two hits. The fifth inning was highlighted by a two-run home run from Charping to propel the Broncos to a 7-0 lead. After an hour weather delay the Bronco bats continued to stay hot, scoring two runs on two hits in the top of the seventh en route to a 9-0 victory over Miami. 

Game Two (Western Michigan – 4, Miami – 3)
Trailing by one the Western Michigan baseball team scored two runs on two hits in the top of the seventh inning to secure a 4-3 victory over Miami in game two of Friday’s doubleheader at McKie Field at Hayden Park.  

WMU trailed 3-2 heading into the top of the seventh after Miami scored three unanswered runs with two in the fourth and one in the fifth. With one out Will Morrison laced a double to right field to give WMU runners on second and third as Connor Charping stepped to the plate.  

On a 1-1 count, Charping roped a two-RBI single to score both Bronco runs and give the Brown & Gold a 4-3 lead. Miami looked to rally in the bottom of the seventh posting runners on first and second with one out. However, Miami was unable to tie the game as a fly out to second base and a strikeout ended the scoring threat and the game.  

Both teams combined for seven runs on eight hits with each team committing an error on Friday night. The Broncos had four separate players register a hit in game two with Charping leading the way going 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Jimmy Allen scored two of WMU’s four runs going a perfect 1-for-1 at the plate with two runs scored while drawing two walks.  

On the mound the Broncos got a stellar performance from sophomore RHP Brady Miller who threw 4.1 innings and allowed just four hits while striking out six in 19 batters faced. Miller held Miami hitless until the bottom of the fourth inning.  

Earning his second win of the season was senior RHP Will Mullen who in 1.2 innings of relief allowed no runs on no hits while striking out one in seven batters faced. Freshman Ryan Watt pitched the final inning allowing no runs on no hits and striking out one for his second save of the season.  

Western Michigan once again got on the board first, scoring two runs in the top of the third. After back-to-back walks to open up the inning, Will Morrison executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with one out. In the next at-bat a wild pitch allowed Jimmy Allen to score and give WMU a 1-0 lead.  

Two batters later freshman Greg Budig scored on the second wild pitch of the inning to give the Brown & Gold a 2-0 advantage after three innings of play. Miami rallied back and scored two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to earn a 3-2 lead heading into the top of the seventh.  

In the top of the seventh Connor Charping delivered with a one out two-RBI single to propel the Broncos back in front. The RedHawks looked to strike in the bottom of the seventh with runners on first and second and one out but a fly out and a swinging strikeout ended the game.  

AKRON, Ohio - Eight strong innings from John Baker and a couple big innings were all the Ball State baseball team needed to win 7-3 on Friday at Akron. BSU is now 7-2 in league play and, as of Friday evening, just one game out of first place.

Saturday's doubleheader begins at 11 a.m. Chayce McDermott will pitch the first game, with Lukas Jaksich scheduled to work the nightcap. Sunday's game is scheduled for noon.

Baker owns 348 career strikeouts at Ball State, more than any active pitcher in NCAA Division I. He is within nine strikeouts of the school record, held by Bryan Bullington (2000-02). 

Baker (3-1) was his usual ace self, working 8.0 innings and striking out eight. Akron (9-13, 3-10 MAC) scratched a run across in the 3rd and got a solo homer in the 6th. The 6-9 hitters in Akron's lineup combined to go 1-for-16. Mac Ayres and Andre Orselli combined to finish the bottom of the 9th. 

The game was 4-2 in the 9th when Simpson led off the inning with a homer to right-center. The senior centerfielder has a nine-game hitting streak where he's hitting 10-for-28. Scheffler's hit later in the 9th effectively put the game away. "I was just thinking fastball," Simpson said about his second home run of the year. "I got one over the plate and hit a good line drive to right-center field. We needed an insurance run, so it was a bit at bat."

In the bottom half of the order, Decker Scheffler came off the bench to add a 2-run double late in the game. Trenton Quartermaine opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd. 

Ball State's 1-5 hitters combined for seven hits and six runs. Adam Tellier and Ryan Peltier each had two hits and Nick Powell and Aaron Simpson each scored two runs. Ross Messina pulled an RBI double in the 3rd inning and also drove in a run with a fielder's choice.

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio baseball team (12-11, 6-7 MAC) erased a two-run deficit by plating three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead and then tacking on two more insurance runs in the seventh to rally for a 6-3 win over Eastern Michigan (8-14, 4-9 MAC) on Friday (April 9 in the opening game of a four-game Mid-American Conference series at Bob Wren Stadium.

Trailing 3-1 in the home half of the sixth, redshirt junior second baseman Michael Richardson (Cambridge, Md.) got Ohio's rally started by sending a leadoff single down the right field line. He reached second safely when the Eagles committed an error on a failed force, which allowed graduate student third baseman Harry Witwer-Dukes (Monmouth, Ore.) to reach first safely by way of a fielder's choice. One out later, the Bobcats loaded the bases when senior left fielder Sebastian Fabik (Lebanon, Ohio) drew a walk. That set the stage for junior catcher Mason Minzey (Grand Blanc, Mich.) to send a two-run double to center to drive home Richardson and Witwer-Dukes and knot the score at three-all. Fabik then scored what proved to be the winning run on an RBI ground out to second by junior first baseman Colin Kasperbauer (Sioux City, Iowa).

After senior right-hander Edward Kutt IV (Westlake, Calif.) retired the side in the top of the seventh in his first inning of relief, Ohio took advantage of two more miscues by Eastern Michigan in the bottom half to increase its lead to three runs. Senior center fielder Isaiah Peterson (Lincoln, Neb.) beat out an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error on the play to lead things off for Ohio. He then scored on another throwing error by the Eagles that came on a failed force at third, which allowed Richardson to reach safely on a fielder's choice. Richardson scored the game's final run on a wild pitch.

After the leadoff hitter reached for Eastern Michigan on an Ohio throwing error in the eighth, Kutt IV struck out the next three Eagles he faced to preserve the lead for the Bobcats. The ninth inning saw senior southpaw Brett Manis (Port Huron, Mich.) close out the victory with a scoreless frame of work, giving him his third save of the season.

Junior left-handed starting pitcher Joe Rock (Aliquippa, Pa.) picked up the win for Ohio to improve to 5-1 on the year. He struck out four while permitting three earned runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings.

Ohio and Eastern Michigan are scheduled to play a doubleheader at The Wren on Saturday (April 10). First pitch of the first of two seven-inning contests is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.

KENT, Ohio – The University of Toledo baseball team used a four-run eighth-inning to open its series at Kent State with an 8-7 victory on Friday.

"It wasn't the prettiest of games, but today was a huge win for us," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "The offense just kept coming and scoring against some really good arms. Scott Mackiewicz had a fabulous performance at the plate with two home runs and a single. Jordan Power was excellent on the mound at the end of the game. Winning on Friday night is big and we have to come back ready to take the series. Can't be satisfied with just winning a game or two. These are the baby steps in building a winning program."

The Rockets pounded out 12 hits on Friday, including seven extra-base hits. Mackiewicz had his best game of the season, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, a walk, and a stolen base. Trace Hatfield drove in three runs for UT, two of which came on the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning. Chris Meyers went 2-for-5 with a double and leadoff man Nicky Winterstein was 2-for-5 with a triple. Zach Schwartzenberger added two hits, an RBI, and a stolen base to help the cause.

Power ended the game with four scoreless innings on the mound, allowing just two hits and no walks to earn the win. Wyatt Jefferson started the game and threw 4.0 innings while striking out two.

The Rockets and Golden Flashes will continue their series on Saturday with a seven-inning doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.

CARBONDALE, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team could not hold off a late rally Friday afternoon in a 7-4 loss to the Bellarmine Knights at Itchy Jones Stadium.
 
The Huskies led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Bellarmine got a Josh Finerty double and a Clayton Mehlbauer single to get runners at the corners with no outs. An error allowed Finerty to score and tie the game 3-3. Jacob Mulcahy then loaded the bases with a single. Davis Crane put the Knights ahead 5-3 with a double off of NIU relief pitcher Nate Thomas (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian), scoring Mehlbauer and Chris Gambert. The lead grew to 6-3 on a two-out RBI single from catcher Alex Cleverly.
 
NIU (5-19) got a run back in the top of the eighth on Kam Smith's  second home run of the season, making the score 6-4. Bellarmine put the lead back to three runs when a Mulcahy solo home run in the bottom of the inning made the score 7-4. The Knights' closer Anthony Ethington made the lead stand up as he retired the Huskies in order in the ninth to secure the win.
 
The Huskies put an early run on the board when designated hitter Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) led off the game with a home run over the left field fence off of Bellarmine starting pitcher Deylen Miley. Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) kept the Knights scoreless through the first four innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
 
Bellarmine (10-17) had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the third after Finerty led off with a triple. Lasiewicz then got a groundout and struck out Gambert and Mulcahy to get out of the inning and keep the Knights scoreless. Drobushevich extended the Huskies' lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth with his second home run of the game, a solo shot just inside the left field fair pole. Two batters later Smith hit a home run over the left field fence to put NIU ahead 3-0. 
 
"Kam and Nick both had very good days offensively," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We scattered seven other hits and couldn't piece together enough of them to put up a big inning, but we had our chances. We need to bounce back and be ready to play a good SIU team that is playing very well right now."
 
Drobushevich was 2-for-5 in the game while Smith was 2-for-4 as both players each hit a pair of home runs. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) had three hits. Lasiewicz struck out eight batters in six-plus innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks.
 
The Huskies take on Southern Illinois on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.