WKU Baseball took down Austin Peay 6-4 Wednesday night at Nick Denes Field.

The Hilltoppers go to 22-20 on the season and sit 7-11 in Conference USA play with 14 games remaining. 

WKU hit just 4-15 with runners on base and left eight runners stranded. Senior outfielder Cael Frost led the team, going 3-4 with two RBI. 

WKU opened the scoring in the second inning as a wild pitch allowed senior catcher Camden Ross to score from third base. 

The game was turned upside down for the Hilltoppers as Austin Peay put up a four-run fifth frame. The inning started with back-to-back singles, running out starter Gage Olsen after 4.1 innings. Junior Ka’olu Holt came in and gave up an RBI bunt single to redshirt junior outfielder Paris Pridgen. Holt walked redshirt junior infielder Ray Velazquez to load the bases and as senior outfielder Zion Taylor hit a single, WKU’s fielding was caught lacking as freshman two-way player Dillon Adkins scored from third.

“Gage didn’t need to go back out in that fifth inning. That was my fault,” Head Coach Marc Rardin said. “I don’t know if I got greedy or I got stupid, but, you know, I just, I put him and I put us in a bad situation.”

The fourth run came in off an offline throw to second by Ross, allowing the runner at third to score, giving the Governors a 4-1 lead. 

The Hilltoppers were quick to tie the game as in the bottom half of the fifth, senior outfielder Daniel Stewart pinch hit with two runners on and hit a home run to right field, tying the game 4-4. WKU took the lead back with a two-RBI double by Frost, giving them a 6-4 lead. 

“Just being ready when my name is called and sticking to me, like I said, the beginning of this, I try to stay as confident as I can in my approach,” Stewart said. 

Austin Peay put pressure on the Hiltloppers in the eighth as junior left-hander Zach Lyles took the mound. Lyles allowed two runners on base and was taken out for graduate right-hander Sam Frizzi, who struck out the one batter he faced. Senior right-hander Dawson Hall ended the inning with a strikeout. 

“Years ago, I started changing up guys even with two strikes, and then an AB (at-bat), man, it’s hard,” Rardin said. “I mean, you’re you’re now, you’re seeing somebody new, and you already got two strikes.”

The Governors would leave one on base to end the ninth, with Hall getting a strikeout and junior right-hander Mick Uebelhor getting the final two outs. 

WKU Baseball will return to action this weekend to face Kennesaw State in a three-game CUSA series.