March 9, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University baseball team regained its winning form Sunday to take the final game of its three-game series with Northern Iowa 10-4 ending a two-game winning streak. Western is now 7-4, while UNI falls to 3-7.
Sophomore pitcher J.C. Faircloth (So., Jacksonville, Fla.) pitched six shutout innings to improve to 4-0. Faircloth, who has not allowed a run in 12-2/3 innings, got help from Matt Gunning (Jr., Victoria, B.C.), David Lower (Anderson, Ind.), and Matt Johnston (Jr., Clarkson, Ky.) as they took advantage of a Panthers' pitching staff that walked eight and gave up 10 hits. Gunning was 3-for-5, while Lower went 2-for-5. Gunning and Lower drove in three runs in the contest, while Johnston was 2-for-2 with four runs scored and an RBI. Johnston now has a 10-game hitting streak.
Western did not commit an error in improving to 7-4. The Hilltoppers have committed 11 errors in their four losses. They had five in the first two games of the series.
A quick start got Western moving towards the win. The Toppers, who fell behind early in the first two games, score a run in the first and three in the second to jump out to a 4-0 lead.
After Johnston scored on a double to left by Antone Towns (So., Louisville, Ky.) in the first, WKU got three in the second. With two outs, Kevin Bearden (Sr., Tallahassee, Fla.) singled up the middle and moved to second on a wild pitch. Following a walk by Rafael Vallejo (The Bronx, N.Y.) off Panthers starter Jake Hansen (0-1), Johnston singled to right scoring Bearden. Both Vallejo and Johnston tallied on Lower's double.
The Hilltoppers broke open the contest in the fourth with three more runs. Bearden walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Vallejo to start the inning. Lower brought in Bearden when Tyson Hanish misplayed a ground ball. Gunning made the score 7-0 when he cleared the bases with a double.
Trailing 8-0 after Johnston scored on an error by pitcher Bill Zenk, Northern Iowa tried to battle back in the top of the eighth. Freshman pitcher Travis Sewell (Utica, Ky.) making his first career start walked Nate Heath and Joe Burgett to open the inning. Hanish then singled to load the bases with no outs. Adam Boeve crushed a ball to left field for a grand slam cutting the Panthers' deficit in half.
The Hilltoppers closed out the game by adding two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Michael Wilhite (Fr., Franklin, Ky.) began the inning with a walk and scored on Lower's triple. Lower scored on a sacrifice by Brent Miller (So, Muncie, Ind.).
Western's Travis Brown (Sr., Kankakee, Ill.) walked in the second reach base safely for the 10th straight game.
The Hilltoppers travel to Louisville on Tuesday for a 2 p.m. (CST) contest before returning home on Wednesday for a single game with Belmont at 2 p.m.
