Feb. 22, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky baseball team snapped a three-game losing skid Friday, pounding out 14 hits to claim a 13-2 victory over Asbury (Ky.) College at Nick Denes Field.
Asbury looked to take the lead in the top of the first inning when Hilltopper starting pitcher Brooks Sketo (Fr., Sheperdsville, Ky.) walked two straight batters with two outs, and then hit Sam Brockington to load the bases. Nick Key stepped up to the plate and Sketo forced a groundout to end the Eagle threat.
In the bottom of the first, the Hilltoppers took advantage of a Rafael Vallejo (Fr., Bronx, N.Y.) walk and stolen base, as Jeff Pacholke (Sr., Priarie DuSac, Wisc.) launched a triple to deep center field, plating Vallejo to put WKU in the lead, 1-0. Vallejo and Pacholke each tallied three hits on the day.
Western looked to add to its lead in the bottom of the second when Matt Wilhite (Jr., Franklin, Ky.) ripped a double down the left field line, one of his two hits, and advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Eagle starter Mark Evans. Kenneth Yaeger (So., Bowling Green, Ky.) stepped up and scored Wilhite on a sacrifice fly to left, and Brian Polson (Sr., Louisville, Ky.) would later score one more for the Toppers to make it a 3-0 game.
Asbury would bounce back in the top of the third when Sketo walked Chip Wiley and Brandon White to put two on with one out. Jon Lent stepped up and smacked a single to center, scoring both Wiley and White to pull the Eagles to within one, 3-2.
WKU answered, scoring four runs off five hits in the bottom of the third, highlighted by an Antone Towns (Fr., Louisville, Ky.) RBI single and Wilhite's second double of the game, this time scoring two to give the Hilltoppers a 7-2 lead.
Western would score another in the fifth inning, and Hilltopper reliever Adam Prida shut down the Eagle bats, recording consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth. He struck out the side in the fifth and finished the day with four strikeouts in three innings of work.
With an 8-2 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Toppers put the game away. WKU scored five in the inning, highlighted by Towns' first career home run, a solo shot over the left field wall, to enforce the 10-run rule, giving Western the 13-2 win.
Sketo earned his first-career victory to improve to 1-0 on the year, giving up two runs off one hit with three strikeouts in four innings of work.
Asbury used four pitchers, giving up a combined 14 hits, with Evans earning the loss to drop his record to 0-1.
The Hilltoppers return to action Saturday with a double-header against Illinois State at Nick Denes Field. Action begins at 12 p.m. (CST).
