WKU Baseball began its Conference USA Tournament with a convincing 8-2 win over Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday afternoon at Mickey Dunn Stadium.
The Hilltoppers are in pool A of the tournament alongside MTSU and Jacksonville State.
WKU did not have an easy matchup going up against the reigning CUSA Pitcher of the Week, senior right-hander David Horn Jr. However, the Hilltoppers jumped onto the right-hander and ran him out after just 3.2 innings. Horn’s outing ended with six earned runs on seven hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.
The Hilltoppers successfully used their small-ball tactics of safety squeezes and sacrifices to defeat the Blue Raiders. WKU had three successful safety squeezes, a play in which the runner on third takes a lead and waits to read the bunt to reach home plate or stay at third. Graduate outfielder Parker Coley, sophomore infielder Reid Howard and senior catcher Camden Ross hit the bunts.
Ross also had a leadoff home run in the third inning and finished the day going 2-3 with two RBIs and a walk. Howard led the Hilltoppers with three RBIs, going 1-3 and getting hit by a pitch.
WKU’s only all-conference entry junior infielder Lane Arroyos had a silent day at the plate, going 0-4 with one walk, two strikeouts, and leaving four runners on base.
The Blue Raiders’ bullpen slowed down the WKU bats as senior right-hander Bryant Beranek relieved Horn. Beranek tossed four innings, giving up two runs on four hits, one walk, and striking out two. Junior left-hander John Michael Pickens relieved Beranek in the eighth with a runner on first and two outs for the lefty vs lefty matchup against senior outfielder Cael Frost. Pickens won the battle, striking out Frost on six pitches.
Starter graduate right-hander Gavin Perry had a strong outing on the mound, tossing eight innings. Perry held MTSU to one run on five hits one walk and struck out six batters. The Georgia native finished the game, throwing a career high 120 pitches.
The Blue Raiders struggled at the plate, going 8-32 and 3-13 with runners on. MTSU left seven runners on the pads, including four in scoring position.
MTSU finally got on the board in the eighth, catching onto Perry, who tallied 100 pitches going into the eighth. Junior outfielder Owen Nowak led off the inning with a single, and senior catcher Tyler Minnick brought him home with an RBI double. The Blue Raiders didn’t stop there, as redshirt freshman utility player Layne Akers brought home Minnick with an RBI single.
Graduate right-hander Nathan Lawson was called to relieve Perry in the ninth and put down the Blue Raiders in order on seven pitches.
Akers finished the day going 4-4 with one RBI and a double.
WKU Baseball will return to action in the CUSA Tournament as they face Jax State on Friday, May 22. The game will begin around 12:30, or 30 minutes after the Louisiana Tech vs Liberty game ends.
