March 31, 2001
New Orleans, La. - The Western Kentucky baseball team picked up its fourth straight conference win by defeating New Orleans 6-1 at Privateer Park on Saturday.
The Hilltoppers (20-10, 5-3 SBC) got on the board first in the fourth inning against UNO starter Tom Lipari. 1B D.J. Johnson (So., Hudson, Ky.) laced a one-out single to right and moved to second on a single to left by CF David Lower (So., Alexandria, Ind.). DH Tanner Townsend (Jr., London, Ky.) then put a single through the right side on a hit-and-run to score Johnson. SS Luis Rodriguez (Sr., Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico) followed with a single to right to plate Lower and give WKU a 2-0 lead.
The Privateers (14-13, 5-3 SBC) threatened in the bottom of the fourth as LF Rowland Skinner and catcher Mike Sanchez hit back-to-back one-out singles to put runners on first and third. However, WKU starter Ryan Bicondoa (Jr., Lovelock, Nev.) got SS Chandler Rose to ground into a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning and preserve the shutout. Western struck again in the fifth as LF Matt Fox (Sr., Louisville, Ky.) led off the frame with his fourth home run of the season down the left field line to put WKU on top 3-0. UNO threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out. However, Bicondoa worked out of the jam again striking out 1B Justin LoFranco and getting DH Jeff Lipari to ground out to Rodriguez to end the inning.
The Hilltoppers added some insurance in the seventh as Houdek hit a two-out double to right-center. 3B Nick Turner (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) followed with a double to the gap in left center, scoring Houdek. UNO got on the board in the bottom of the seventh as 3B J.D. Huether reached on an error by Rodriguez to lead off the frame. After a one-out walk to RF Jeff Miller, Bicondoa got LoFranco to ground back to the mound, but the return throw on the double play was thrown away by Rodriguez, allowing Huether to score and make it a 4-1 game. The Toppers added another run in the ninth as RF Tim Cleland (Sr., Klamath Falls, Ore.) led off with a double, and two outs later Matt Wilhite (So., Franklin, Ky.), who entered the game at third base, doubled to center scoring Cleland. Catcher Ryan Cattell (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.) followed with a single to left, plating Wilhite and giving the Western a 6-1 advantage.
UNO scored two runs in the ninth off WKU reliever Kurt Minnick (Fr., Anderson, Ind.) as Lipari doubled home two runs to make it a 6-3 game. Mike Belch (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.) relieved Minnick and retired the next two batters to record his first save.
Bicondoa (6-2) threw 8.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on nine hits while striking out two to record his sixth straight win. Johnson led the Hilltopper offense with three hits.
Western and UNO will conclude their series tomorrow at 1 p.m. CDT.
- WKU -
