May 16, 2003
New Orleans, La. - David Lower (Sr., Anderson, Ind.) drove in four runs and Matt Johnston (Jr., Clarkson, Ky.) hit his fifth home run to begin a six-run sixth inning as the Western Kentucky University baseball team downed New Orleans 8-5 at Maestri Field Friday night for its sixth-straight win.
The Hilltoppers improve to 30-20 on the season and 11-10 in the Sun Belt Conference, while New Orleans falls to 22-31. WKU has won at least 30 games for four straight seasons.
Andy Baldwin (Jr., Campbellsville, Ky.) improved to 5-6 for Western as he got the win after holding the Privateers to two runs despite allowing 10 hits in six innings.
In the pivotal sixth inning, the Hilltoppers sent ten batters to the plate. Johnston got the six-run inning started with his fifth home run of the season. Western kept the inning going by loading the bases with no outs as Matt Gunning (Jr., Victoria, B.C.) and Tim Grogan (Fr., Villa Hills, Ky.) sandwiched a double by Antone Towns (So., Louisville, Ky.) with walks off Thomas Diamond, who fell to 3-5.
With one out, Travis Brown (Sr., Kankakee, Ill.) doubled to score Gunning and Towns. After Kevin Bearden (Sr., Tallahassee, Fla.) walked, Lower roped a double into the corner in left field clearing the bases.
After a two-run home run by pinch hitter Brad Domeris off reliever Adam Prida (Jr., Tampa, Fla.) in the bottom of the seventh, WKU extended its lead to 8-4 in the eighth. Lower picked up his career-high fourth RBI when he drove in Bearden with his second double of the game.
New Orleans pulled to within three in the eighth with a run off Matt Wilhite (Sr., Franklin, Ky.). Austin Wasserman was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a balk by Wilhite to start the inning. A single by Mike Sanchez drove in Wasserman.
The Privateers jumped on the board with a pair of runs on three hits off Baldwin in the bottom of the first inning. Joe Pietro started the inning with a single and went to third on a hit by Drew Pizza. Pietro scored on a single by Gabe Trevizo. Pizza made it 2-0 when he scored from third on a ground ball by Chris Adams.
Western got a run back in the top of third without getting a hit. Brown walked to leadoff the inning, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch by Diamond. Brown scored on a fielder's choice by Rafael Vallejo (So., The Bronx, N.Y.).
The Hilltoppers and UNO meet in the second game at 1 p.m. (CST) on Saturday.
