KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Ohio baseball squad took a 7-5 lead into the seventh inning but surrendered two home runs as Western Michigan took the rubber game of the Mid-American Conference series Sunday afternoon, 8-7.

Going for their third straight league series victory, the Bobcats (19-16-1, 7-6-1 MAC) scored twice on a single by Brian Colopy (Columbus, Ohio) in the sixth inning to take a 6-5 lead and went ahead by an additional run in the top of the seventh on a solo homer by Anthony Gressick (Lancaster, Ohio), but reliever Dan O?Rourke (Monongahela, Pa.) couldn?t hold the lead as the Broncos clinched their seventh victory in the last nine outings.

WMU?s R.C. Dickerson led off the home half of the seventh with a home run to draw the Broncos within one and Travis May went yard with a runner on to regain the lead at 8-7. The Bobcats managed to place just two runners on base in their final two at-bats as the hosts held on for the victory.

Ohio struck first with a tally in the second inning on an RBI single by Dusty Hammond (Bellefontaine, Ohio) that scored Gressick, who reached and advanced on an error. The Bobcats would have had a chance to add another run in the frame on Bryant Witt's (Powell, Ohio) two-out single, but Hammond was caught stealing second base just a few pitches earlier.

The Broncos wasted no time taking the lead. The first of three WMU homers on the day ? this one off the bat of Justin Carter ? tied the game to lead off the bottom of the second. Consecutive singles had runners in scoring position and the second run of the frame scored on a fielding error by Bobcat starter John Angelicchi (Woodmere, Ohio).

Hammond?s sacrifice fly in the fourth drew the Bobcats even at 2-2 and WMU promptly regained the lead in the bottom half on a sac fly of its own to make it 3-2.

Bryan Buck (Hudson, Ohio) singled to start the Ohio fifth and crossed home plate two batters later as Phil Sabatini (Oakmont, Pa.) reached on an error. Ben Crabtree (Roxbury, Conn.) then extended his hitting streak to 17 games with an RBI single down the left field line in the Ohio fifth to push the Bobcats back in front, 4-3.

The see-saw battle then turned back to WMU?s side as the Broncos scored twice in the home half of the fifth for a 5-4 advantage, but Ohio would plate the game?s next three runs over the successive two innings.

Hammond led off with a single in the sixth and moved to third on consecutive groundouts. With two outs, Buck was hit by a pitch to set up Colopy?s two-run single. He was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. Gressick?s fourth home run of the season ? and third over the last seven games ? followed in the seventh for the 7-5 lead.

O?Rourke (1-2) took the loss for Ohio. The senior right-hander threw four innings in relief and allowed three runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Angelicchi pitched the first four frames and allowed five runs on six hits with four strikeouts.

Buck finished with a season-high three hits and Gressick added three more to finish the series 7-for-12 at the plate. Colopy and Hammond each recorded two RBIs.

Brian Kross (3-1) picked up the victory for WMU in relief. The right-hander allowed one run over three innings of work. Broncos? starter Charlie Christner threw six innings and allowed six runs ? three earned ? on nine hits with six strikeouts.

The Bobcats will continue on the road for two non-conference games this week before hosting Ball State next weekend at Bob Wren Stadium. Ohio will travel to face Cleveland State at Jacobs Field on Tuesday and then skip over to take on Youngstown State Wednesday evening. Both games are set to being at 6 p.m.