WKU (8-7) split a doubleheader with Illinois (5-8) after a rough start in game one to bounce back and win game two on Sunday at Nick Denes Field. 

“We needed a rebound, and I thought our club responded very well against what I think is a very good Big 10 team,” WKU head coach John Pawlowski said.

WKU bounced back in game two thanks to a strong effort by junior starting pitcher Devyn Terbrak.

“I’m excited for conference play next week,” Terbrak said. “It gives me a lot of confidence going off this weekend, after what I just did I hope I can do the same thing or better next weekend.”

Matthew Meyer carried the WKU offense throughout the day as he recorded multi-hit performances in both games.

Game 1

The Fighting Illini defeated the Hilltoppers 9-4 in a seven-inning contest in game one of the doubleheader.

WKU starting pitcher senior Sean Bergeron pitched only two innings. Begeron allowed four runs on five hits while not striking out any batters. The Hilltoppers used eight pitchers through what was only a seven inning game. Illinois sophomore Riley Gowens went 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on three hits with four strikeouts. 

The Fighting Illini saw eight different batters record a hit, four of which recorded multiple hits. Sophomore Danny Doligale had the best performance of the day as he recorded four hits. The Hilltoppers were only able to manage four hits in game one, two of which were by Meyer.

The Fighting Illini got off to a strong start with a leadoff double by Doligale. The next batter singled before sophomore Justin Janas knocked in a run with an RBI single. Junior Cam Mcdonald followed with a two-run double. Mcdonald scored on a one-out groundout to make it 4-0. Bergeron retired the next batter to end the top of the first.

Gowens retired the Hilltoppers in order in the bottom of the first, striking out two.

Illinois got two base runners in the top of the second on a single and an error but failed to score. Gowens recorded another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the second.

Redshirt sophomore Trevor Mott started the top of the third on the mound for WKU. Mott hit back-to-back batters with one out in the inning. The following two batters singled as sophomore Brody Harding knocked in another run with his single, making it 5-0. Sophomore Dalton Mesaris entered the game with two outs in the top of the third and retired the first batter he faced to end the inning.

WKU failed to put a runner on base for the third straight inning in the bottom of the third.

Mesaris retired the first batter he faced in the top of the fourth before allowing three straight singles to load the bases. Redshirt junior Ryan Luckett relieved Mesaris with two outs in the inning and retired the first batter he faced to end the top of the fourth.

Meyer led off the bottom of the fourth with a double. Sophomore Aidan Gilroy followed with an RBI ground-rule double, making it 5-1. Gowens retired the next three batters to end the inning.

Luckett struck out the first batter he faced in the top of the fifth before allowing a walk and single, prompting a pitching change to redshirt junior Aaron Shiflet. Shiflet retired the first two batters he faced to end the top of the fifth.

Gowens retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the fifth before walking three straight batters. Meyer followed with a two-run RBI single up the middle. Sophomore Joseph Glassey replaced Gowens with runners on the corners and one out. Gilroy knocked in another run with a sac fly RBI to center, to cut the lead to 5-4. Glassey retired the next batter to end the fifth.

Freshman Cooper Hellman started the top of the sixth on the mound for WKU and sat down the Fighting Illini in order. Glassey retired the Hilltoppers in order to end the sixth inning.

Hellman returned to the mound in the top of the seventh and retired the first batter he faced. Redshirt junior Mason Vinyard replaced Hellman after he allowed a one-out walk. Vinyard allowed a ground-rule double to the first batter he faced. 

Vinyard walked the next batter. Illinois tacked on a run on a passed ball, making it 6-4. Sophomore Cal Hejza followed with a two-run RBI double to make it 8-4, prompting a pitching change to graduate student Logan Bowen. Doligale welcomed Bowen to the game with an RBI double, giving Illinois a 9-4 lead.

Glassey retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the seventh before allowing a triple to freshman Brett Blomquist. Glassey retired the next two batters to give the Fighting Illini a 9-4 victory in the seven inning contest.

Game 2

WKU defeated Illinois 4-2 in a nine-game affair in game two of the doubleheader.

Terbrak picked up the win for WKU going eight innings, allowing only one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts. Illinois starter sophomore Jack Wenninger went 3.2 innings allowing three runs on six hits and three walks.

Redshirt sophomore Ty Crittenberger and Meyer led the way for the Hiltoppers with two hits apiece, Crittenberger also recorded two RBIs. Junior Jacob Campbell gave Illinois one of their two runs with a solo homer.

“Crittenberger stepped up in a big way,” Pawlowski said. “Matthew Meyer has hit the ball hard. He just hadn’t had too much luck, but we moved him into left field and I thought he did a great job for us in left field. Terbrak, that guy just seeks to fill the strike zone up and you know his emotions are always in check.”

Terbrak retired the first batter he faced to begin the game before allowing back-to-back base runners on an error and a single. Terbrak recorded two outs in a row to end the top of the first. 

Crittenberger led off the bottom of the first with a single. Junior Tristin Garcia followed with a single of his own. Gilroy walked with one out in the inning to load the bases. The following batter flew out to center and the Illinois center fielder threw out Crittenberger at the plate to end the first inning.

Freshman Ryan Moerman led off the second with a single. Harding singled with one out to put runners on the corners. Hezja attempted a bunt in the next at bat, but Moerman was cut down at the plate on the play. Terbrak struck out the next batter to end the inning. Wenninger sat down the Hilltoppers in order to end the second inning.

Terbrak allowed two singles in the top of the third, but the Fighting Illini failed to score. Wenninger retired the first two he faced in the bottom of the third before allowing a walk and a single. Gilroy followed the single with an RBI single, making it 1-0. Wenninger retired the next batter to end the inning.

Illinois saw a batter reach on a walk in the top of the fourth, but that was all it could manage in the inning.

Wenninger retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the fourth before allowing a double to Blomquist. Blomquist reached third on a passed ball and was thrown out at the plate on a ground ball to short in the next at bat. 

Wenninger walked the next batter before allowing a two-run RBI double to Crittenberger, making it 3-0. Junior Ryan Kutt relieved Wenninger and retired the first batter he faced to end the fourth.

Terbrak recorded his first 1-2-3 inning of the day in the top of the fifth. Kutt returned to the hill for Illinois in the bottom of the fifth and sat down the Hilltoppers in order. 

McDonald led off the sixth inning with a double. Terbrak retired the next three, stranding McDonald at second. The Hilltoppers went down in order in the bottom of the sixth for the second straight inning.

Both teams went down in order in the seventh inning, maintaining a three run Hilltopper lead.

Terbrak retired the first man he faced in the top of the eighth before allowing a solo home run to Campbell, making it 3-1. Terbrak retired the next two to end the top of the eighth.  Meyer led off the bottom of the eighth with a single. Graduate Brian McAuliffe knocked in Meyer with a single later in the inning, making it 4-1 going into the ninth.

Sophomore Luke Stofel started the top of the ninth on the mound for the Hilltoppers. Stofel walked the first batter he faced. Later in the inning, the runner scored on a groundout by Hejza, making it 4-2. The following batter singled with two outs, prompting a pitching change to Vinyard. Vinyard struck out the first batter he faced to give the Hilltoppers a 4-2 victory.

“You look at the pitching side of it, Mason Vinyard has been outstanding for us, and I know he was disappointed in game one,” Pawlowski said. “I asked him about game two, and he said I’m ready whenever you need me and gave us a big out there in the ninth inning.”

Up next, the Hilltoppers will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take on Belmont on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. CT. Following Tuesday’s game, the Hilltoppers head to Charlotte next weekend to begin conference play.

Baseball Reporter Camden Bush can be reached at [email protected].