AKRON, Ohio (Interstat) — Zach Vriesenga pitched 4 2/3 hitless innings in relief and the Western Michigan Broncos held off the Akron Zips 4-3 in a Mid-American Conference opener Friday evening at InfoCision Stadium.

Western Michigan (5-7) scored all four runs in the first inning. Connor Ostrander had an RBI single and two runs scored on double plays. Avery Thielman added a solo homer in the seventh.

Akron (6-8) chipped away with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, including an RBI double from Gio Melchione. Zips starter Brady Bowen allowed one earned run over 6 2/3 innings.

Vriesenga struck out six after entering in the fifth. DJ Thompson and Turner Doran combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings to seal the win before 159 fans.