WKU Baseball got off to a hot start to their 2025 season, taking both games from Illinois State on Feb. 14.
The Hilltoppers opened their season at Nick Denes Field to what was supposed to be a four-game series but it was cut to just the doubleheader Friday due to inclement weather.
The highlight of the day was senior third baseman Carlos Vasquez. Through the two games, he went 4-8 with two RBIs and a walk-off hit in the second game.
Game 1
The Hilltoppers secured their first win of the season 9-5.
WKU got to a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly in the second inning.
Illinois State answered in the third, scoring two runs off a single.
WKU took back the lead off a double in the third and then extended their lead with a stolen base to make it 3-2.
Illinois State got ahead with a double and then scored again after hitting into a double play, making it 4-3.
WKU tied the game off a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Illinois State responded with a three-run home run in the fifth.
WKU proceeded to score one in the fifth and had a huge eighth-inning rally scoring runs off a walk, a single, and a throwing error, giving WKU a 9-7 win.
Game 2
The Hilltopper’s second game of the season was a thriller that extended to extra innings.
WKU scored off a single in the second and scored again in the fourth off a sac fly to make it 2-0.
Illinois State scored off a ground out and a single in the fifth to tie the game 2-2.
WKU made it a 3-2 game with a single in the sixth.
Illinois State answered back in the seventh with a double, tying the game 3-3.
In the 11th, Vasquez went up to the plate with runners on first and second and walked off the game with a ground-rule double that was inches away from being a foul ball.
The Hilltoppers’ pitchers ended the second game of the day with 21 strikeouts, the most since at least 2005.
“It’s always nice to play at home right, you don’t have to worry about getting those last three outs like they had to do on us and we took advantage of it,” Head Coach Marc Rardin said.
The Hilltoppers next game is Feb. 18 against Southern Indiana in Evansville at 3 pm.
