March 25, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - The Western Kentucky baseball combined clutch hitting with solid defense and pitching through most of the game to avenge its earlier 18-1 loss to intra-state rival Louisville with a 4-3 win on Tuesday at Nick Denes Field. It was Western's second straight win as it improved to 13-7 overall. The Cardinals dropped to 13-8 on the season despite rallying for two runs in the ninth.
Grady Hinchman (So., Pendleton, Ind.) improved to 3-0 after allowing just one run in seven innings of work. He lowered his ERA to 2.31 on the season as he struck out six batters and was the beneficiary of three double plays. Adam Prida (Jr., Tampa, Fla.) and Matt Wilhite (Sr., Franklin, Ky.) each tossed an inning of relief. Wilhite earned set the career record for appearances at Western with his 85th appearance. Wilhite broke the record previously held by Brian Smith, who set the mark in four seasons from 1995-98.
Western had to hold off the Cardinals in the ninth. After getting the Morgan Bojorquez to ground out to start the inning, Wilhite plunked Ron Braun. The Hilltoppers tried to get out of the game with their fourth double play, but senior Travis Brown (Kankakee, Ill.) committed an error flipping the ball from his glove to Matt Johnston (Jr., Clarkson, Ky.) on a ground ball by Mark Jurich. The error nearly cost WKU the game as Luis Pardo roped a double off the wall in left that was three feet short of leaving the field and tying the game. Wilhite ended the threat and the game after the double by striking out Nick Haley.
The Hilltoppers jumped on the board with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Tim Grogan (Fr., Villa Hills, Ky.) started the rally by drawing his team-high 11th walk of the season. Western then got some help in keeping the inning going as Louisville's Greg Taylor threw the ball in the dirt on a routine ground ball off the bat of designated hitter Trevor Keesling (Sr., Hagerstown, Ind.). Grogan, who advanced to third while Keesling made it to second, scored on an infield hit by Antone Towns (So. Louisville, Ky.). Towns single took a high bounce off the ground and the outfielder had enough speed to keep Taylor from making a play.
Western added to its lead in the second when Brown led off the inning with home run to left field off Zach Jackson, who got the loss. It was Brown's second homer of 2003 and fourth of his career. Rafael Vallejo (The Bronx, N.Y.) tried to keep things going as he singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Josh Bolen doubled him up on line drive to center by Matt Johnston (So., Clarkson, Ky.).
Louisville cut the Hilltoppers lead in half in the top of the fourth after the hosts failed to score a run after loading the bases in the third. Hinchman, who had allowed just two base runners in the first three innings, got in a little bit of trouble by hitting Jackson. A wild pitch by Hinchman moved Jackson to second. Bolen made the WKU starter pay with a double off the base of the wall in left field to drive in Jackson.
Western responded by getting single runs in the fourth and the fifth with two out rallies. In the fourth, Johnston walked and stole second. Matt Gunning (Jr., Victoria, B.C.) promptly gave WKU a 3-1 lead when he doubled to center. The fifth inning saw Brown single to left with two outs and go to second on a single by Matt Robinson (Fr., Louisville, Ky.). Brown would score from second on an infield single by Vallejo, who beat Bojorquez to the bag.
The Toppers head to Richmond, Ky. Wednesday for a 1 p.m. (CST) game before travelling to Florida International for a three-game series this weekend.
