West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's baseball team ended a six-year streak by winning more than nine home games in a single season. The Leathernecks secured a 9-5 victory against the Saint Louis Billikens in their final home game of the year. Key players Brock Lummus, Trevor Leon, Liam Bushey, and Tyler Large contributed with multi-hit performances. Lummus had an impressive day, going 4-4 with a solo home run and two RBIs.

Harrison Dubois started for WIU, pitching three innings and allowing one run on two hits. Despite an early threat from Saint Louis in the first inning, Dubois managed to escape without further damage. Tyler Large opened the scoring for WIU with an RBI groundout in the first inning. Saint Louis tied it up in the third inning with an RBI double.

WIU regained the lead with Matt Olive's sacrifice fly in the third inning and extended it further when Liam Bushey drove in another run in the fourth inning. Jackson Rodgers entered as pitcher in the fifth inning, securing his third win of the season by allowing just one run over two innings.

The Leathernecks added to their lead in the sixth inning through an RBI single from Lummus and a wild pitch that allowed Trevor Leon to score. Although Saint Louis narrowed the gap to 5-4 in the eighth inning, Lummus hit his seventh home run of the season to provide crucial insurance for WIU. The team then scored three additional runs to secure their 18th win of the season.

Billy Humphrey closed out the game with no hits or earned runs over 1.1 innings, earning his third save of the season.

Looking ahead, WIU will travel to Eastern Illinois for their final Ohio Valley Conference series of this season. Currently ninth place in OVC standings, they are half a game behind eighth place with three games remaining.

For more information on Leatherneck Baseball, visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow them on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.