March 8, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - An RBI single by Northern Iowa's Joe Burgett in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference Saturday afternoon as the Western Kentucky baseball team fell 5-4 at Nick Denes Field for the second straight day The loss drops the Hilltoppers to 6-4, while the Panthers improved to 3-6.
With one out in the top of a ninth, Northern Iowa's Andrew Farmer drew a walk off senior closer Matt Wilhite (Franklin, Ky.) and stole second to move into scoring position. After Wilhite got Nate Heath to fly out to center, Burgett hit single up the gut to score Farmer from second and break a 4-4 tie. Wilhite took the loss to fall to 1-1 while Beau Mathiason moved to 1-0.
Freshman Dennis Winn (Bowling Green, Ky.) tried to ignite a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Winn led off the inning with a single for his first collegiate hit, but was thrown out at second when Rafael Vallejo (So., The Bronx) hit into a fielder's choice. Vallejo moved into scoring position by stealing second. He was left stranded as Matt Johnston (Jr., Clarkson, Ky.) and David Lower (Sr., Anderson, Ind.) struck out ending the game.
For then second straight game, errors did in the Hilltoppers and put them in a hole.
In the top of the third, the Panthers scored three runs on two hits and an error. Adam Boeve tripled to lead off of Western starter Grady Hinchman (So., Anderson, Ind.) the inning and scored on an RBI by Brian Kobliska. With one out, Farmer hit a sacrifice fly in foul territory down the right-field line scoring Kobliska. Armando Lara made it 3-0 when he scored from third on an error by catcher Kevin Bearden (Sr., Tallahassee, Fla.). With Lara at third, UNI's Sean LaCoste broke for second. Bearden tried to catch Lara off third, but threw the ball down into left field. Lara plated to make it 3-0.
After the Panthers made it 4-0 in the top of the fifth with an unearned run when Vallejo threw the ball into the Western dugout, the Toppers' offense woke up. Travis Brown (Sr., Kankakee, Ill.) led off the bottom of the fifth to reach base safely for the ninth straight game. Brown scored on Vallejo's double down the line in left.
Western scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to pull to 4-3. Lower began the season with a single and scored on a two-out double by Tim Grogan (Fr., Villa Hills, Ky.). Grogan tallied as Wilhite lined a shot down the line in right that got stuck in the tarp for a ground-rule double.
Lower tied the game at four in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Johnston doubled to the gap in right-center field. Lower followed with a shot to the same spot scoring Johnston. Lower legged out a triple but was left stranded as Kobliska made a catch in foul territory down the third-base line as he ran into the fence. Johnston's double extended his hitting streak to nine games.
Relief pitcher Igor Roiberg (So., Toronto, Ontario) kept Western in the contest as they rallied to tie the game. Roiberg pitched two hitless innings and walked one batter.
The two teams close out their series tomorrow with a game at 1 p.m. (CST).
