March 30, 2003
Miami, Fla. - Western Kentucky baseball team fought back from an 8-1 deficit to take a 9-8 lead, but Florida International's Luis Rivera hit a bases loaded single for his fifth hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth to score Skipton Adams for a 10-9 victory Sunday afternoon in the rubber-game of its three-game series.
With the loss WKU falls to 14-10 and 3-3 in the Sun Belt Conference, while FIU improves to 25-9 overall and 4-2 in the conference. FIU won the opening game of the set 10-9, while Western won 11-7 Saturday to even the series.
In the bottom of the ninth, Adams reached on a single to left off Matt Wilhite (Sr., Franklin, Ky.). After Fernando Alvarez struck out swinging, Mike Lopez drove a pinch-hit single to right moving Adams to third. Wilhite made it two outs in the inning with a second strikeout of David San Juan. After Lopez moved to second uncontested, Brian Aragon was intentionally walked to load the bases. Rivera then hit single softly through the left side to drive in Adams.
Wilhite suffered the loss falling to 2-2. Edgar Ramirez got the win to improve to 2-0 after allowing one hit in 1-2/3 innings of relief.
The Golden Panthers had tied the game at nine in the eighth. Rivera led off the inning with a double. He moved to third a on a groundout. With one out, Adam Summerell struck out, but the pitch from Grady Hinchman (So., Anderson, Ind.) was in the dirt. The pitch bounced to the backstop allowing Rivera to score and knot the game at nine.
The Hilltoppers fell behind 8-1, but chipped its way back into the game taking the lead in the top of the eighth. Brent Miller (So., Muncie, Ind.) led off the frame with an infield single. Matt Gunning (Jr., Victoria, B.C.) followed with his third home run of the season launching a shot over the fence in right.
Western scored fours in the sixth to make it a one run contest. Kevin Bearden (Sr., Tallahassee, Fla.) and David Lower (Sr, Anderson, Ind.) walked to start the inning. Matt Johnston (Jr., Clarkson, Ky.) loaded the bases with a single. With no outs, Tim Grogan (Fr., Villa Hills, Ky.) lined a single to right scoring Bearden and Anderson. Antone Towns (So., Louisville, Ky.) made it three straight base hits scoring Johnston. A fourth straight Western single by Miller, who was 4-for-6, drove in Grogan to make it 8-7. WKU, which stranded 14 runners, loaded the bases again in the sixth when Gunning walked with one out. The Toppers couldn't capitalize as Travis Brown (Sr., Kankakee, Ill.) fouled out and Bearden grounded out.
A two-run homer in the fifth by Johnston made it an 8-3 game. The home run was the first of Johnston's WKU career.
The Golden Panthers used an eight-run fourth inning to get the lead. With one out and a runner on first, Ricardo Nanita blasted a two-run home run to right-center field off WKU starter Kenny Hughes (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.). Skipton Adams and Fernando Alvarez kept the inning going with one-out singles. Adams scored on a two-out hit by James Bacon. After Brian Aragon was hit by a pitch, Luis Rivera roped a 3-run double and scored on a double by Bryan Pullin. Pullin made it 8-1 when he scored on a single by Adam Summerell.
A two-out rally in the bottom of the third inning got the Hilltoppers on the scoreboard first. Lower doubled down the line in left. After Rafael Vallejo (So., The Bronx, N.Y.) walked, Johnston singled to drive in Lower.
For the game, Western finished with 15 hits. Aside from Miller's four-hit game, Johnston was 3-for-5 and Grogan had two hits. The Hilltoppers had 46 hits in the series. FIU had 16 hits led by Rivera's five.
Western closes out its five game road trip on Tuesday evening when it takes on Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. (CST). The Hilltoppers host Arkansas State this weekend in a three-game series beginning Friday.
