WKU Baseball (2-0) defeated the Dayton Flyers (0-2) 6-1 Saturday, Feb. 18 at Nick Denes Field.

WKU was helped with a huge performance from the guys on the mound. Junior Lane Diuguid had a great outing in his first start of the year. The junior went five hitless innings with seven strikeouts and no earned runs.

“Some days you don’t have your best stuff even though you kind of just gotta grind through the points,” Diuguid said. “But overall performance, I was happy you can’t ask for much more.”

Freshman Evan Jones pitched great in relief for Diuguid. Jones went three and a third innings with no earned runs and one hit. 

Sophomore catcher Ty Batusich had a great day at the plate. He went 3-4 with two doubles and two RBI’s.

“That’s what we expect from him,” Head coach Mark Rardin said. “That was nice to see and nice to have him do what he did.”

Dayton put two men on in the first following a fielder’s choice and an error, but ended the half inning scoreless. WKU threatened in the bottom of first with a Tristin Garcia double and a walk but couldn’t get any runs across.

The first Dayton batter of the second reached on a HBP and came all the way around to score on a pitch in the dirt, making it 1-0. WKU put a man on second with one out in the bottom of the inning, but left him stranded. 

Diuguid struck two men out in the top of the third in a 1-2-3 inning. WKU also went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the third.

The Hilltoppers forced another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth. WKU put themselves in a great position to put a run on the board with a Ty Bautisch leadoff double. However, the Hilltoppers couldn’t get anything else going in the inning and Bautisch was left on second. 

Diuguid put himself in some trouble with back to back walks in the fifth, but he kept the WKU deficit at one with his seventh strikeout of the day. WKU yet again put a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth, but he stayed at second for the rest of the inning keeping the score 1-0. 

Freshman Evan Jones came in to relieve Diuguid in the sixth, pitching a 1-2-3 inning. WKU was finally able to put a run on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Lukas Farris came across to score on a sacrifice fly from senior Brayden Johnson to tie the ballgame up 1-1.   

Jones continued to pitch well in the top of the seventh as a walk was his only blemish in the half inning. WKU opened the floodgates on the Flyers in the bottom of the seventh. A single and a walk put two men on for Kirk Liebert who drove the two home with a single into right. 

WKU continued to dominate the inning after a Ty Batusich double drove in another two for the HIlltoppers. WKU got one more across the plate before a strikeout ended the inning. 

Dayton got their first hit of the ballgame in the eighth, but were unable to capitalize as the runner was left on first. WKU couldn’t carry their great performance from the seventh into the eighth as the Hilltoppers went down 1-2-3. 

Dayton loaded the bases in the top of the ninth but an unassisted double play put a quick end to the Flyer comeback story. WKU took the win and the series 6-1. 

“Whether we end up scoring in the first or second, or the seventh or eighth, I’ll take it the way it is,” Rardin said. “I think, you know, overall our better days are ahead of us still.”

WKU will look to complete a three game sweep against the Flyers, Sunday Feb. 19 at Nick Denes Field. 

Sports reporter Jake McMahon can be reached at [email protected] .