YPSILANTI, Mich. (Interstat) — The Western Michigan Broncos erupted for a seven-run third inning and weathered a late rally to defeat the Eastern Michigan Eagles 12-7 in a Mid-American Conference baseball game Saturday at Oestrike Stadium.

The victory, which followed a one-run loss to the Eagles on Friday, improved Western Michigan to 18-15 overall. Eastern Michigan fell to 11-25.

The game’s decisive sequence came in the top of the third inning, transforming a tight contest into a commanding lead for the visiting Broncos. Already leading 1-0, Western Michigan’s offense exploded against Eastern Michigan starter Carter White. Center fielder Tanner Mally drew a walk to begin the frame, and right fielder Cooper Hums followed with a two-run homer to right-center field.

The Broncos were far from finished. After a flyout, walks to Miles Mennecke and Mike Maloney loaded the bases for first baseman Avery Thielman. Thielman delivered the crushing blow, launching a three-run home run to center field to clear the bases and extend the lead to 6-0. The seven-run outburst gave Western Michigan starter Sam Carlisle a significant cushion.

Eastern Michigan responded in the bottom half of the inning, cutting into the deficit. Following a one-out single by Matt Jellison, left fielder Devan Zirwas connected for a two-run homer to right field. The Eagles added two more runs on an RBI single from Drew Jones, capitalizing on a walk and a single to make the score 7-4.

The score remained static until the seventh inning, when Western Michigan padded its lead. Pinch-hitter Josh Polubinski drove in a run with a single, and Mally later smashed a two-run double to left field, scoring Polubinski and Mason Pilarski to push the advantage to 10-4.

Eastern Michigan mounted its most serious threat in the eighth inning, scoring three runs to close the gap. An RBI single by Shane Crane and a run-scoring single by Karter Knupp brought the Eagles within two runs. Another run scored on a fielder’s choice by Logan Hale, making it 10-7 and forcing Western Michigan to use its third pitcher of the inning, DJ Thompson, who escaped further damage.

Western Michigan secured the win with two insurance runs in the ninth. Polubinski, now serving as the designated hitter, delivered again with a two-run single. Mally capped his strong day at the plate with an RBI double, his second two-bagger of the game, to provide the final margin.

Broncos reliever Adam Lehmann provided critical stability after taking over for Carlisle in the sixth, tossing two scoreless innings to bridge the game to the late innings. Turner Doran pitched a perfect ninth to close it out.

Mally finished with two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored. Thielman’s three-run homer was the key hit in the big third inning, and Polubinski drove in three runs off the bench. For Eastern Michigan, Zirwas had the two-run homer and Jellison collected three of the Eagles’ 11 hits.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, defied the Interstat game simulator projection of an 8-3 Western Michigan win and the ELO system’s forecast of a 61.7% win probability for the Broncos, as the Eagles’ offense kept pressure on throughout.

The teams conclude their three-game series Sunday.