Macomb, Ill. ? The Braves pounded out 14 hits against five Western Illinois pitchers to win their fifth straight game overall and take their fourth consecutive in the series with WIU with a 12-9 victory in a Wednesday afternoon road contest at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium in Macomb.

Neither starter lasted past the third inning as the teams combined for 22 hits and 21 runs in a hitting parade that began in the top half of the second inning.

The Braves (16-14 overall) got on the board first, scoring a pair of runs in the second inning on a two-out, two-run homerun from sophomore designated hitter Peter Malinowski (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway South), his second homer of the season.  Malinowski was one of four Braves with multiple hits against Western pitching.

Western would pull one back in the bottom half on a leadoff homerun of their own off the bat of leftfielder Joe Pacyga.  The Leathernecks would grab the lead in the third on another home run, this one an inside-the-parker with two outs by Matt Newquist.

The hosts tacked on two more in the fifth on a two RBI single from Mike Triumph.

Trailing 5-2, the Braves flashed back to Tuesday and exploded for a seven-run sixth to snatch the lead and the momentum.

Junior third baseman Paul Rice (Beardstown, Ill./Beardstown) lead off the inning by blasting his first home run of the season.  Shortstop Ryan Curry (Downers Grove, Ill./South) followed with a bunt single, proceeded to steal second and was plated when Jason Newburger (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) slapped a single to right field as part of a 4-for-5 day with three runs and two RBI.

After freshman Dan Brewer reached for the second time on a WIU fielding error, Malinowski greeted the third Leatherneck pitcher with a single to left to load the bases.

Right fielder Pat Ryerson (Des Moines, Iowa/Johnston) followed  by pulling a ball down the right field line for a bases-clearing double to give the Braves the lead.  The offense would not relent as Rice singled for his second hit of the inning behind junior Brad Jones' (Potomac, Md./Landon School) hit by a pitch, before Ryan Curry drove home Jones with a single to center for the seventh run of the frame.

The Braves put two more on the board in the seventh with a two-run, bases loaded single from Brad Jones.  The Braves would need the insurance as Western had a response in the eighth.

Bradley reliever Tyler Thornton (Minier, Ill./Olympia) looked as though he would wiggle out of a self-imposed bases-loaded jam before Steve Knapp's second home run of the season cleared the fence to cut the Bradley lead to 11-9.

Reliever Eitan Barbalat (Thornhill, Ontario/Westmount Collegiate Institute) retired WIU's leading hitter, Travis Check, to end the eighth and gave way to Peter Elmer (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) for a perfect ninth and his third save of the season.

The Braves take their five-game winning streak into this weekend's series with I-74 rival Illinois State.  The first game is Friday at 6 p.m. in Normal as the first place Braves look to remain at the top of the MVC standings coming off last weekend's sweep of Indiana State.