Western Sweeps Chippewas

Saturday, May 4

Kalamazoo, Mich.

TBA

Central Michigan University

Western Michigan

5/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

May 4, 2002

Box Score

KALAMAZOO - Western Michigan posted a pair of one-run victories over Central Michigan here Sunday in Mid-American Conference (MAC) baseball action, 9-8 and 11-10.

The Chippewas are now 20-19 for the season and 9-8 in MAC action while WMU is 17-19 and 8-9. The Broncos have won all three games of the series thus far.

Western Michigan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning of game one thanks to a two-run homer to straight away center off the bat of James Galla.

The Broncos added two more in the third to up their margin to 4-0 after three.

Central Michigan scored six times in the fourth inning to take a 6-4 edge. Tim Groves had an RBI single, Tim Bullinger an RBI double and Mike Gates an RBI single to highlight the inning. Two walks and two hit batters and an error helped the CMU cause although only one run was unearned.

WMU battled back with a run in the fourth to make it 6-5.

The Chippewas got that run back in the sixth with a long home run down the right field line by Danny Gibbons (No. 3).

The Broncos took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when they chased starter and loser Chad Pleiness by loading the bases. Greg Graham greeted reliever Travis Osborn with a grand slam to center, upping the WMU lead to 9-7.

A solo homer by Tim Groves in the seventh was Central's final scoring.

Groves had three hits and Bullinger two for the Chippewas. Pleiness suffered the loss, dropping his record to 4-3.

Central Michigan jumped out quickly in game two, scoring twice in the first and three times in the second. Gates drilled a two-run single in the first and Ryan Krueger singled in one in the second and Gibbons tripled in two more with a sharp grounder inside the bag at first.

But, WMU battled all the way back to take a 6-5 lead through five frames with single runs in the first and fourth, and four more in the fifth to chase the starter, Gavin Gillette.

The Chippewas fought back to take the lead in the top of the sixth, 7-6, on an RBI single by Krueger and a run-scoring double by Gibbons.

The Broncos wasted little time in tying it in the bottom of the sixth at 7-7 when Tarpley homered.

The see-saw action continued with Central scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to go up, 10-7. Bullinger's fourth hit of the game put CMU up by one and Krueger's single to center plated two more, one was Bullinger with his fourth score of the game.

Western scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth to deadlock it at 10-10. The last two came on a double by Steve Horn.

The loss went to reliever T.J. Johnson who gave up three three unearned runs in the eighth. Dan Doorlag's bases-loaded single off reliever Lee Naplin netted Western the win.

Bullinger and Krueger each had four hits and David Latour three as CMU banged out a season-high 17 hits in the loss.

CMU and WMU will meet again in Mount Pleasant on Sunday with a single game beginning at 1 p.m. The Chippewas then host Saginaw Valley on Monday at 2 p.m., before playing at Chicago State on Tuesday.