WKU Baseball failed to secure its final series of the season, dropping two of three games at Delaware. 

The Hilltoppers finish the regular season with a 29-27 record and a 14-17 Conference USA record. WKU will hold the sixth seed in the CUSA tournament and play in Pool A alongside CUSA regular-season champions Jacksonville State and Sam Houston. 

WKU once again struggled with runners on, leaving 31 runners on base throughout the series. The Hilltoppers hit just 14-60 with runners on base. 

Senior infielder Austin Haller led the team during the weekend, going 5-11 with one RBI and four walks. 

Game One

Delaware took the series opener in a convincing 7- 3 win on Thursday night. 

Both teams managed 10 hits, but the Blue Hens took advantage of their baserunners while WKU struggled yet again with runners on. The Hilltoppers went just 2-13 with runners in scoring position while Delaware went 4-12. 

The first inning saw both teams score, with the Blue Hens taking a 3-1 lead. The lead was extended to 5-1 after three innings, with sacrifice hits from freshman catcher Anthony DeCesare and junior infielder Matthew Minckler. 

The RBI from DeCesare caused WKU starter junior Gage Olsen to be taken off the mound after just two innings. Junior Ka’lou Holt pitched the final six innings, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out seven. 

The Hilltoppers had many opportunities to tie the game up, but those chances were wasted as WKU left 14 runners on base. WKU left runners on base in every inning but the seventh, including leaving the bases loaded in the sixth. Both senior outfielder Cael Frost and junior infielder JP Acosta left four runners on base, with Frost being the final out in the sixth. 

The Blue Hens put the game out of reach for WKU in the bottom frame of the fifth with two more runs.

The Delaware bullpen picked up the weight left by the starter, freshman right-hander Nick Bilotto. Freshman right-hander Jake Marchesano went 2.2 innings, giving up five hits, two walks and striking out four. Junior left-hander Dylan Bryan closed out the final 3.1 innings, earning the save after holding the Hilltoppers to one hit and seven strikeouts. 

Game Two 

WKU returned on Saturday night and shut out Delaware in a 3-0 win.

Game two didn’t see the offensive explosiveness of game one. The Hilltoppers scored in the opening frame with a two-RBI double by junior infielder Lane Arroyos. WKU extended the lead in the third inning as senior catcher Camden Ross hit into a double play, which allowed sophomore Reid Howard to score from third. 

WKU starter graduate right-hander Gavin Perry highlighted game two’s win, tossing six innings, holding the Blue Hens to three hits and four strikeouts. Junior right-hander Mick Uebelhor earned the save after coming into the game in the eighth with two runners on. Uebelhor stranded the runners and struck out one in the ninth to give the Hilltoppers the win. 

While they earned the win, WKU still struggled with runners on, stranding eight runners on base. 

The Delaware bats looked different compared to game one, with the Blue Hens going three up three down four times. Other than the two base runners in the eighth, Delaware had an opportunity in the seventh with a runner on third to cut the deficit, but they couldn’t bring the runner home. 

Game Three 

Delaware closed out the series and their season with a 6-3 win over the Hilltoppers on Sunday morning. 

In a similar fashion to game one, the first inning saw both teams score, leaving the game tied at 2-2. The Hilltoppers took the lead in the following inning with an RBI double by freshman utility player Ethan Reynolds. 

However, after tying the game in the third inning, Delaware took control and never looked back. Delaware took the lead in the sixth with an RBI single by LT Cockrill and extended the lead in the seventh with an RBI single by sophomore outfielder Sal Mineo and a forced fielder’s choice by senior infielder Evan Bouldin. 

The Hilltoppers failed to convert runners on base to runs once again, leaving nine runners on base. In the sixth inning, Frost walked to lead off the inning and reached third base on a single hit by Acosta. However, Reynolds failed to bring them home, flying out to right field to end the inning.

WKU ended the ninth with the batter at the plate representing the tying run. Haller forced a two-out walk, and Howard hit a single to bring up Arroyos, who is the Hilltoppers’ RBI leader. However, he struck out to end the game. 

WKU Baseball will travel to Kennesaw State for the CUSA tournament running from May 20-24.