WKU Baseball earned its fourth Conference USA series win of the season against Middle Tennessee State University April 17-19 at Nick Denes Field.
The Hilltoppers took two of three games against MTSU, improving their conference record to 11-4 and their overall record to 33-7. WKU lost its first home game of the season in game two against the Blue Raiders.
The WKU pitching staff allowed 16 runs in the series, the most runs allowed in a three-game home series this season.
Senior Kyle Hayes had an impressive series, going 7-for-10 with five RBIs and hitting a home run in each game.
“Past couple of games just haven’t felt right so I wanted to look at some video and to have that trust with the coaching staff that they can see what’s going on; and just that communication between coach and player,” Hayes said. “I worked on it at BP on Thursday and it kept carrying over day after day and just trusting the process and sticking to it.”
Game 1
WKU opened the series Thursday with a 9-5 win.
MTSU opened the scoring in the first inning with a two-run home run. The Blue Raiders extended their lead in the second inning off a fielder’s choice that scored the runner from third, giving them a quick 3-0 lead.
WKU tied the game in the second inning with a three-RBI double from senior Austin Haller.
The Blue Raiders took the lead back in the fifth inning from an RBI double, giving MTSU a 4-3 lead.
The Hilltoppers leveled the game in the fifth inning with an RBI triple by Hayes.
MTSU gained back the lead in the sixth inning off an RBI double, handing the Blue Raiders a 5-4 lead.
WKU took the lead after a four-run eighth inning. Hayes started the scoring with a home run to center field, followed by a home run by junior Thomas Marsala. Junior Joe Siervo hit a single that brought in two runners. Siervo later scored off a wild pitch, giving the Hilltoppers the 9-5 win.
Junior Jack Bennett made his shortest start of the season, throwing two innings and allowing three runs on two hits. The Hilltopper bullpen took over from there, combining for seven innings of one-run baseball with 10 strikeouts to shut down the Blue Raiders.
Game 2
WKU lost its first home game of the season Friday, 10-3.
The Hilltoppers opened the scoring in the second inning after a throwing error scored Marsala.
MTSU took the lead in the third inning. An RBI double scored the first run, which was followed by a throwing error that allowed the runner from third to score, giving MTSU a 2-1 lead.
The Blue Raiders scored four runs in the fourth inning. The first two came on back-to-back RBI singles. The other two runs were scored off an RBI double. MTSU extended its lead in the fifth inning with a two-run home run, giving the Blue Raiders an 8-1 lead.
MTSU scored two more in the seventh inning with back-to-back RBI doubles, which increased its lead to 10-1.
WKU got a run back in the eighth inning from a Hayes home run. The Hilltoppers got one more run back in the ninth inning off an RBI double from junior Carlos Vasquez, cutting the deficit to 10-3.
Game 3
WKU clinched the series Saturday in a 9-1 victory.
The Hilltoppers opened the scoring in the second inning with a Hayes solo home run. They extended their lead in the fourth inning after a failed pickoff throw allowed junior Camden Ross to score from third, giving WKU a 2-0 lead.
MTSU got a run back in the fifth inning from an RBI single, cutting the score to 2-1.
The Hilltoppers scored four runs in the fifth inning, starting with a two-RBI single from junior Ryan Wideman, followed by an RBI double from Hayes. Junior Drew Barragan brought in the last run of the inning from an RBI single.
WKU scored three more runs in the eighth inning. An RBI single from freshman Reid Howard scored the first run of the inning. A fielding error during the play allowed Haller to score. The last run scored on an RBI flyout from Vasquez.
Sophomore Drew Whalen had another impressive outing, throwing seven innings, keeping MTSU to five hits, one run, one walk and striking out nine Blue Raider batters.
“It takes a lot of will, that third game is who wants to show up and just have that will obviously who we got in our back pocket coming out is Drew Whalen and boy he showed up and gave us what we needed,” Head Coach Marc Rardin said.
WKU Baseball is back in action Tuesday, April 22, for a midweek game against Evansville at Nick Denes Field.
Sports Reporter David Quintanilla can be reached at [email protected]
