Feb. 18, 2001
Bowling Green, Ky. - The Western Kentucky baseball team is now 3-5 on the season after splitting a doubleheader with Illinois State on Sunday.
The Redbirds (2-1) took the opener thanks in part to a five-run ninth inning which put the game out of reach after the Hilltoppers had pulled within one run. Western got on the board in the bottom of the first after RF Tim Cleland (Sr., Klamath Falls, Ore.) drew a two out walk and scored on a double by 1B D.J. Johnson (So., Hudson, Ky.). ISU answered in the third as CF Ryan Cantrell hit a one-out triple and scored on single by 1B Ed Tolzien. Tolzien was plated on a single by RF Jared Dufault to make it a 2-1 game.
ISU added another run in the fifth off Hilltopper starter Ryan Bicondoa (Jr., Lovelock, Nev.) to take a 3-1 lead, but WKU added a run in the seventh as 3B Tanner Townsend led off the inning with his second home run of the season to pull the Toppers within one, 3-2. However, Illinois State sent ten batters to the plate and scored five time on four hits to take an 8-2 lead and put the game out of reach.
Bicondoa (0-2) suffered the loss pitching 7.0 innings while allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out six. ISU starter Steve Hecker (1-0) picked up the win. Johnson and Townsend each had two hits to lead Western.
The Hilltopper rebounded in the second game, winning 6-5 in ten innings. Once again Western struck first as DH Nick Turner (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) hit his third home run of the season with a man on to give WKU an early 2-0 lead. ISU answered in the second on an two-run single by 3B Jim Chiapetta to tie the game at 2-2. The Hilltoppers regained the lead in the bottom of the second as CF David Lower (So., Alexandria, Ind.) scored on a sacrifice fly by SS Luis Rodriguez (Sr., Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico). However, the Redbirds added two runs in the fourth for a 4-3 advantage.
WKU tied the game at 4-4 with a run in the bottom of the fourth as Turner reached on an error and scored on a double by Johnson. Western then took the lead, 5-4, in the fifth when LF Matt Fox (Sr., Louisville, Ky.) scored on an error by Chiapetta at third. Illinois State tied the game at 5-5 in the sixth on a single by 2B Scott Legan.
The game remained tied until the tenth when Lower was hit by a pitch with two outs, and moved to second on a Townsend single. Rodriguez then dropped a hit into rightcenter to score Lower with the winning run, giving Western a 6-5 win.
Brian Houdek (Sr., Dyer, Ind.) picked up the win in relief to improve to 2-0 on the season. Kevin Sadowski started on the mound for WKU, throwing 4.0 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out four. Tim Boyer suffered the loss for Illinois State.
- WKU -
