March 18, 2001
Bowling Green, Ky. - Louisiana-Lafayette used a four-run seventh inning and scored three more in the ninth to defeat Western Kentucky 7-5 on Sunday.
Western (14-7, 1-2 SBC) jumped out to an early lead as LF Matt Fox (Sr., Louisville, Ky.) increased his hitting streak to 15 games with a double down the left field line to lead off the first inning. Fox moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Hilltopper pitcher Brian Houdek (Sr, Dyer, Ind.) and scored on a wild pitch by Cajun starter Brandt Ray, giving the Toppers a 1-0 lead.
The Hilltoppers scored again in the first when Houdek reached on an infield single and scored on a single by 1B D.J. Johnson (So., Hudson, Ky.). Western added two more runs in the fifth inning as Fox doubled to left center and scored on a double by Houdek who was thrown out at third trying to stretch the play into a triple. Johnson then hit his first home run of the season over the right field wall to make it a 4-0 game.
Houdek no-hit the Ragin' Cajuns (17-8, 2-1 SBC) through 6.1 innings before DH Jarvis Larry hit an infield single to third in the seventh. 1B Scott Atwood then doubled down the left field line to put runners at second and third, and Larry scored on a single by catcher Mike Kabel. Matt Wilhite (So., Franklin, Ky.) relieved Houdek on the mound and gave up an RBI single to LF Chad Verret and a double to 2B Brad Saloom scoring two more runs to make it a 4-4 game.
Western regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth as 3B Nick Turner doubled off the left field wall to lead off the inning and moved to third on a bunt single by catcher Ryan Cattell (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.). RF Tim Cleland (Sr., Klamath Falls, Ore.) then singled to left off Cajun reliever Gordon O'Brien to score Turner and give WKU a 5-4 lead.
ULL answered in the ninth off Hilltopper reliever Kevin Sadowski (Sr., Cresthill, Ill.). 3B Robert Shelton and Atwood opened the frame with back-to-back singles and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Kabel. Verret then doubled to deep center scoring both runners and giving the Cajuns their first lead, 6-5. Varret later scored on a bunt by SS Neil Simoneaux to make it a 7-5 game.
Western rallied in the bottom of the ninth as pinch hitter Jeff Pacholke (Jr., Prairre Du Sac, Wisc.) opened the inning with a walk. After a Fox groundout, Houdek reached on an error, but O'Brien struck out Johnson and got Turner to line out to third to end the game.
Houdek got a no-decision on the mound despite throwing 6.2 innings allowing only three hits and three runs while striking out ten. Sadowski (0-1) suffered the loss allowing three runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of work. Turner and Houdek led the Topper offense with three hits each.
Western returns to action this week traveling to Murray State on Tuesday and Louisville on Wednesday, with both games starting at 2 p.m. CST. Western will host Arkansas State next weekend (March 23-25) in a three-game Sun Belt series.
- WKU -
