April 13, 2002
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Western Kentucky baseball team scored four runs in the final three innings Friday to defeat Middle Tennessee, 5-3, in the opener of a three game Sun Belt series at Reese Smith Field. The Hilltoppers (24-8, 7-2 SUn Belt) extend their season-long winning streak to nine games with the win, while the Blue Raiders suffer their eighth setback in their last 10 games.
After neither squad was able to plate any runs in the first two innings, Western grabbed the early lead in the top of the third when MTSU starter John Williams walked Patrick Ransdell (Sr., Bowling Green, Ky.) to lead-off the inning. Three batters later, Tanner Townsend (Sr., London, Ky.) ripped a two-out single up the middle, scoring Ransdell to give the Toppers a 1-0 advantage.
The Blue Raiders answered in their half of the third off Hilltopper starter Ryan Bicondoa (Sr., Lovelock, Nev.), plating two runs courtesy of an RBI single by Nate Jaggers and a run-scoring groundout by Marshall Nisbett , making it a 2-1 contest.
MTSU added another in the bottom of the fourth when Troy Harp was hit by Bicondoa. After stealing second, Harp crossed home plate on a throwing error to give the Blue Raiders a 3-1 lead.
After a scoreless sixth, WKU tied the game at three in the seventh when Trevor Keesling (Jr., Pendleton, Ind.) and Ransdell knocked back-to-back singles to put two on with one out. Travis Brown (Jr., Kankakee, Ill.) stepped and smoked a single to left to score Keesling, and David Lower (Jr., Alexandria, Ind.) collected the Hilltoppers fourth consecutive hit with and RBI single through the left side of the defense, plating Ransdell to make it a 3-3 contest.
In the top of the eighth, the Hilltoppers took their first lead when Jeff Pacholke (Sr., Prairie DuSac, Wis.) roped a lead-off single to right. Rafael Vallejo (Fr., The Bronx, N.Y.) replaced Pacholke on the basebads, stealing second and then moving over to third on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Turner (Sr., Louisville, Ky.). Antone Towns (Fr., Louisville, Ky.) stepped up next and scored Vallejo with a single to right to give WKU a 4-3 advantage.
WKU padded its lead with one more in the ninth thanks to an RBI double by Ryan Cattell (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.) to make it a 5-3 contest. Each member of the Hilltopper starting lineup recorded a hit in the victory.
Bicondoa tossed his third complete game in four starts, allowing three runs on five hits while fanning 13 to improve to 5-2 on the season. It was his fourth consecutive start with at least 12 strikeouts.
MTSU used two pitchers to give up a combined 10 hits, with Williams earning the loss to fall to 5-2 on the year.
The series resumes Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m. (CDT).
