May 6, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky's baseball team fell to Florida International, 8-6 Saturday in the final game of their Sun Belt Conference series. RHP Brad Eldred picked up the win for the Golden Panthers, giving up just one hit in 2.0 innings of relief. Freshman RHP Matt Wilhite took the loss for the Hilltoppers, giving up two runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings of relief. RHP Ossie Lugo picked up his 14th save of the season in the Golden Panther win.
The Hilltoppers honored their six seniors -- C Curtis Bliss, C Kevin Clutter, OF Lorenzo Ferguson, RHP Jay Meyer, RHP Josh Novotney and OF/LHP Jeff Vance -- in a ceremony before the game.
FIU (33-16, 12-12 in Sun Belt Conference play) got on the board first in the top of the first, scoring three runs. The top half of the inning was highlighted by C Al Corbeil's two-run homer, his third of the series.
The Hilltoppers (22-29, 11-15 in SBC play) came back in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead, 4-3. Junior DH Justin Herrguth doubled in two runs in the inning, and Ferguson hit his first homer of the season to drive in the other two.
The Golden Panthers added two more runs in the top of the second. 1B Raul Pujol scored on a wild pitch by Hilltopper RHP Brandon Miller, who started the game. FIU scored the other run, when DH Mike Quintana doubled in SS Eric Miller.
WKU answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, when junior CF Matt Fox singled in Clutter, and junior 2B Brian Houdek singled in junior SS Luis Rodriguez.
But the Hilltoppers would not score anymore after that point. In the top of the fifth, just before a 46-minute rain delay, Wilhite gave up an opposite field homer to Corbeil -- his second of the game. The bomb tied the score at 6-6.
In the top of the seventh, CF Barry Paulk hit what proved to be the game-winning home run, giving the Golden Panthers a 7-6 lead. They scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth, when 3B Todd Sherbinsky hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Corbeil.
Houdek led the Hilltoppers at the plate, going 3-for-4, with an RBI. Fox was also good for WKU, going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Paulk led the Golden Panthers, going 3-for-3 and scoring two runs. Corbeil was 2-for-3 with two homers and three RBI.
The Hilltoppers will now take the road to face Kentucky Tuesday at 5 p.m. (CDT), and Eastern Kentucky Wednesday at 2:00.
