Feb. 28, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University sophomore pitcher J.C. Faircloth (Jacksonville, Fla.) started slowly Friday afternoon, but rebounded to earn his first career complete game with the help of a 6-run sixth inning in the Hilltoppers 8-4 win over Wright State Friday in the home opener at Nick Denes Field.
After giving up three runs in the first three innings, Faircloth rebounded by allowing one run the rest of the way and benefited from a 6-run sixth to take an 8-3 lead. The win upped WKU's mark to 3-1, while the Raiders fell to 0-4.
In the pivotal sixth, Tim Grogan (Fr., Villa Hills, Ky.) single down the line in right to lead off and scored on Travis Brown's (Sr., Kankakee, Ill.) 1-out triple. After a Kevin Bearden (Sr., Tallahassee, Fla.) walk, Brown scored on a passed ball by catcher Bryan Vickers. Rafael Vallejo (So., The Bronx, N.Y), who had a career-high three runs batted in, drove in Bearden with a single. Matt Johnston (Jr., Clarkson, Ky.) kept the inning going and advanced a base with Vallejo when Vickers through the ball into center field on failed pick-off attempt at second. Matt Wilhite (Sr., Franklin, Ky.) made the Raiders pay for the error with a double down the right-field line driving in both Vallejo and Johnston. Antone Towns (So., Louisville, Ky.) closed out the inning with a single to bring in Wilhite.
The Hilltoppers, who trailed 3-0 after three innings, got a run back in each of the third and fourth innings. In the third, Vallejo, who had a career-high three RBI drove in Brown with a sacrifice fly. He would drive in Brown again in the fourth with a single to center.
Adam Morton would homer in the ninth, but Faircloth kept the Raiders from getting any closer.
For the game, Faircloth scattered nine hits, struck out five and walked two to go to 2-0 on the season. Offensively, the Hilltoppers pounded out 10 hits putting them in double digits for the third-straight game. Brown, Bearden and Vallejo - the bottom three hitters in the Western order - each had two hits.
The two teams meet Saturday in a doubleheader at Noon (CST) before closing out the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
