April 27, 2000
Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky's baseball team fell to Middle Tennessee 11-6. RHP Kevin Davis (7-1) claimed the win for Middle Tennessee, giving up two runs on three hits in 4.0 innings of work. Junior RHP Brian Houdek (1-3) took the loss for the Hilltoppers, giving up six runs on eight hits in 4.0 innings pitched.
The loss was the fifth straight for the Hilltoppers, the longest losing streak of the season.
The Blue Raiders (27-16) got off to the early lead, scoring a run in the top of the second. With two outs, DH Kyle Thomas singled to left center and scored on centerfielder Jeff Parsons double to right center.
MTSU added two more runs in the top of the third, giving the Blue Raiders a 3-0 lead. With two outs, LF Justin Links hit an infield single to second. He moved to second when C Josh Pride took a walk from Houdek. Links and Pride then scored on RF Bryan Peck's double into the left corner.
The Hilltoppers (20-25) got on the board in the bottom of the third, when junior SS Luis Rodriguez smashed his first home run as a Hilltopper over the leftfield wall. Rodriguez had registered 383 at bats in a Hilltopper uniform before hitting a bomb.
In the top of the fourth, the Blue Raiders added three more runs. Thomas was hit by a pitch to reach base to lead off the inning. Parsons then hit into a fielder's choice to retire Thomas. 1B Kris Lammers then hit an infield single to move Parsons to second. Parsons then scored on SS Wes Whitehead's single to center. 2B Josh Renick singled to left to score Lammers, and Pride doubled down the leftfield line to score Whitehead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Hilltoppers responded with three runs to cut the MTSU lead to 6-4. With two outs, freshman 1B D.J. Johnson hit a double to left center. He moved to third on a wild pitch by Griffith and scored on a single down the leftfield line by senior C Kevin Clutter. Clutter then scored when sophomore 3B Tanner Townsend hammered a homer over the leftfield wall.
In the top of the fifth, freshman RHP Matt Wilhite, who was playing second to start game, took the mound. The Blue Raiders scored four runs to take a 10-4 lead. Johnson reached on a throwing error by Houdek, who had moved to second base. Thomas then moved to Johnson to third with a single to right. Parsons scored Johnson on a fielder's choice, but retired Thomas at second. Lammers then singled through the right side to move Parsons to third. Whitehead then hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Parsons. Renick took a walk from Wilhite to advance Lammers to second, and both scored on Links' double to left center.
But the Hilltoppers refused to die, scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, freshman centerfielder Kendall Withers singled up the middle and was driven home by Houdek's home run over the leftfield wall. The homer was Houdek's second of the season, and the first time the Hilltoppers had homered three times in the same game.
Vance took the mound in the top of the sixth, and in the top of the seventh surrendered a run. Lammers took a walk to lead off the inning, and moved to third on Whitehead's single down the leftfield line. He scored on Renick's single to center.
The Hilltoppers held the Blue Raiders scoreless in the final two innings of the game, but failed to score to bring the game any closer.
Houdek and Townsend both led the Hilltoppers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with 2RBI apiece. Johnson and Clutter were also both 2-for-4.
The Hilltoppers will take the field again this weekend, when they host Arkansas-Little Rock in a Sun Belt Conference series, Friday through Sunday. Game times are 6, 2 and 1 p.m. (CDT) at Nick Denes Field.
