WKU (9-11, 1-2 C-USA) dropped another heartbreaker to Evansville (8-12) 9-8 Tuesday on Nick Denes Field. The Hilltoppers blew a ninth inning lead in the rain as the Aces put up five runs in the top of the ninth after being down by three. The loss puts WKU at 2-7 in its last nine games.

“Last week and today, we’ve had some unfortunate things happen,” WKU head coach John Pawlowski said. “We’ve had a lead, we’ve built a lead, but we just haven’t been able to close games out and that’s what we have to do. Somebody’s got to step up down there, some guys got to step up and finish it. Unfortunately, tonight was one of those cases where we didn’t finish it but we also didn’t play solid defense. I think we made four or five errors today, which is uncharacteristic. So we’ve got some stuff we have to clean up and definitely want to try to continue to find a way to close games out.”

WKU freshman starting pitcher Cooper Hellman threw three innings, allowing no runs on only one hit with two strikeouts. Evansville sophomore Donovan Schultz tossed 4.1 innings, allowing six runs, five of which were earned, on five hits and a walk. 

“When you have hitters like we do, it’s awesome just to be able to pitch with confidence,” Hellman said. “Be able to know that you can attack, if they hit we’re gonna hit too.”

Junior Tristin Garcia and sophomore Andrew Delaney led the Hilltoppers offensively. Garcia tallied two base hits on the day while Delaney launched a grand slam in the first inning. Evansville picked up 11 hits on the day, the biggest of these being a go-ahead, three-run home run by redshirt senior Chase Hug in the ninth inning.

“We’ve been pretty hot offensively, but defensively, I think we do need to step it up,” Delaney said. “A couple plays, a couple hops on the turf that didn’t go our way, but that just comes with practice and just comes with making plays and we’re all together, we’re all a team. I’m not gonna point fingers at the pitching because they step up for us a lot. So I just think it’s an all-around team thing. We just gotta keep going.”

Hellman retired the Aces in order in the top of the first to begin the game, striking out two. Junior Matthew Meyer reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the first. Schultz walked the next batter before allowing a single to sophomore Aidan Gilroy to load the bases. Schultz retired the next batter before allowing a grand slam to Delaney, giving WKU a 4-0 lead. Schultz retired the next two to end the first.

Junior Brent Widder led off the top of the second with a single. Hellman retired the next batter before the next batter reached on an error to put runners on the corners. The following two batters flew out to end the top of the second. Schultz retired the Hilltoppers in order in the bottom of the second.

Hellman retired the first two batters he faced in the top of the third before allowing back-to-back base runners on an error and a walk. The following batter grounded out to end the top of the third. 

Garcia led off the bottom of the third with a single before advancing to third on two wild pitches. Later in the inning, freshman Ty Batusich knocked in Garcia with an RBI groundout with one out in the inning to make it 5-0. Schultz retired the next batter to end the third.

Redshirt freshman Cole Heath started the top of the fourth on the mound for WKU. Heath sat down the Aces in order, striking out one. The Hilltoppers went down in order to end the fourth. 

Heath walked the first batter he faced in the top of the fifth. The following batter reached on an error. He hit the next batter to load the bases before allowing a two-run RBI single by sophomore Simon Scherry, making it 5-2. Sophomore Stofel relieved Heath with no outs and runners on second and third. 

Stofel struck out the first batter he faced before allowing a walk. Evansville added two more runs on an RBI fielder’s choice and on a throwing error on a steal attempt to cut its deficit to 5-4. Stofel retired the next batter to end the top of the fifth.

Schultz retired the first batter he faced in the bottom of the fifth before allowing a double to Meyer. Garcia followed with an RBI single, bringing the WKU lead to 6-4. Redshirt junior Nate Kujawski replaced Schultz with one out and a runner on first. Kujawski forced an inning-ending double play with the first batter he faced.

Stofel allowed a two-out infield single, but nothing else in the top of the sixth. Kujawski sat down the Hilltoppers in order in the bottom of the sixth, striking out one. 

The Aces recorded a one-out single in the top of the seventh, but couldn’t manage anything else in the inning. 

Redshirt sophomore Nate Hardman started the bottom of the seventh for Evansville. Hardman retired the first batter he faced before allowing a single to junior Jackson Gray. Hardman walked the next batter as Gray advanced to third on two wild pitches. Gray scored in the next at bat on a double steal, making it 7-4. Hardman retired the next two to end the seventh.

Stofel retired the first batter he faced in the top of the eighth before Garcia committed his fourth error of the day to put a runner on first. Stofel retired the next two to end the inning. The first two Hilltoppers reached base in the bottom of the eighth on a walk and a hit by pitch. The following three batters went down in order to end the eighth.

Stofel returned to the mound in the top of the ninth to close it out for the Hilltoppers. Stofel allowed a leadoff single. Evansville added a run with a one-out RBI single before the next batter followed with an RBI single to make it 7-6.

Stofel retired the next batter before allowing a three-run, go-ahead home run to Hug to give Evansville a 9-7 lead. The following batter singled, prompting a pitching change to graduate Logan Bowen. Bowen allowed a single before forcing an inning-ending flyout.

“When you kind of struggle a little bit with bringing different guys in, we made a decision that we were gonna let him go back out there and finish it,” Pawlowski said. “He was in a great spot, unfortunately, just didn’t work out.”

Junior Jakob Meyer started the bottom of the ninth on the mound for the Hilltoppers. Meyer retired the first batter he faced before allowing a double to senior pinch hitter Justin Carlin. Matthew Meyer followed with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 9-8. Meyer retired the next two to give Evansville a 9-8 victory.

Up next, the Hilltoppers will be back on Nick Denes Field Friday where they will kick off a three-game series against Conference USA opponent Southern Mississippi. Friday’s game is set to begin at 5 p.m.

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