WKU Baseball punched its ticket to the Conference USA Tournament Championship for the first time in program history Saturday, with a 10-2 first-game win over the Kennesaw State Owls.
The Hilltoppers kept the scoreboard active, scoring in five of their seven at-bats. Eight players contributed runs, with junior outfielder Joe Siervo and junior utility player Kyle Hvidsten leading the team with two each.
Junior pitcher Jack Bennett opened the game on the mound for the Hilltoppers, pitching five innings and giving up both of the Owls’ runs. Senior pitcher Patrick Morris finished out the game, allowing just two hits, no runs with two strikeouts on 33 pitches.
Hvidsten kicked off the day with a home run to right field in the bottom of the first, giving the Hilltoppers an early 1-0 lead.
After a scoreless second inning, junior catcher Aaron Posey responded with his own right field home run, tying the game 1-1 at the top of the third.
Capitalizing on a scoreless Hilltopper frame, freshman infielder Wesley Alig singled up the middle, scoring graduate infielder Donovan Cash to give the Owls a 2-1 lead at the top of the fourth. Redshirt junior Carlos Vasquez answered with a two-run single to right, reclaiming the Hilltopper lead at 3-2.
Senior pitcher Lucas Hartman opened the sixth for the Hilltoppers, facing just two batters and giving up one hit. Morris replaced Hartman mid-inning and stayed on the mound for the remainder of the game.
Following a scoreless fifth inning, the Hilltoppers resumed the scoring with a center field home run from junior outfielder Ryan Wideman, which scored two additional runners, pushing their lead to 6-2.
After dispatching the Owls’ batters in order, the Hilltoppers followed up with another three-run inning to push the lead to 9-2. Siervo scored senior infielder Austin Haller off an up-the-middle single and was eventually crossed home off a right field home run from Hvidsten.
Senior outfielder Ethan Lizama poured salt in the wound at the bottom of the eighth with a right field homer. With another scoreless Owl frame pitched by Morris, the Hilltoppers won 10-2, securing their spot in the Conference USA Tournament Championship.
Sports Editor Nathan Mueller can be reached at [email protected].
