Matt Gunning posted his seventh multi-hit game of the season, going 3-for-3 with a home run to lead the Hilltoppers' 12-hit attack. Gunning also extended his hitting streak to eight games, while Tim Grogan is now on a 10-game hitting streak after a 1-for-5 day at the plate. Hilltopper starter Brett Korth suffered the loss, allowing three unearned runs in 2.0 innings of work. Chandler Ganick picked up the win for Lipscomb in relief, throwing 6.2 innings.
The Hilltoppers (8-10) wasted little time getting a run on the board as Matt Ransdell led off the game with a triple to the gap in right-center field. On the very next pitch, Ransdell scored on a wild pitch by Bison starter Kyler Wetherington to give Western a 1-0 lead. Lipscomb (3-9) responded with two unearned runs of its own in the bottom of the first. With one out, Kyle Jackson reached on an error. After a Ryan Boyer single put runners at first and second, Zach Miller drove home Jackson with a single to left to tie the game at 1-1. Nathan Sensing followed with an RBI single to right, giving the Bisons a 2-1 lead.
Lipscomb struck again in the second, loading the bases with nobody out against Korth. Nick Cleckler then plated the Bisons' third run with an RBI groundout. Korth was able to limit the damage, however, striking out Boyer and getting Miller to ground out, ending the frame. The Bisons increased the lead to 4-1 in the third when Nick Price drove home Brent Hastings with a two-out single.
LU got two more two-out runs in the fourth as Patrick O'Rourke drove home Boyer with a single up the middle off WKU reliever Ryan Landrum. O'Rourke then advanced to second on a wild pitch, and moved to third on a Landrum balk. Another wild pitch plated O'Rourke to increase the Bison lead to 6-1.
After a Gunning solo homerun in the fifth pulled Western within four, Western got two more runs in the sixth inning. Jordan Newton started things off with a double down the left field line to score Philip Thayer all the way from first base with WKU's third run. One out later, Matt Johnston brought home Newton with a single to make it a 6-4 game.
However, Lipscomb responded once again, this time scoring four runs in its half of the sixth inning. After loading the bases with one out, Price drove home Miller with a fielder's choice, and Dustin Crawford singled to plate Sensing to make it an 8-4 game. With the bases loaded and two out, reliever Igor Roiberg walked Jackson to force home a run, and Boyer singled to drive home pinch runner Preston Embry to stretch the Lipscomb lead to 10-4.
The Hilltoppers came back with four runs in the eighth to pull back within two. After Dennis Winn started the frame with a single to left, Thayer hit his first career homer over the wall in left-center field to make it a 10-6 game. Newton followed with a single and Ransdell walked to put runners at first and second. Two outs later, Lipscomb intentionally walked Gunning to load the bases. Marcus Ross then lifted a fly ball to lef that was dropped Hastings, allowing Newton and Ransdell to score and get the Hilltoppers back within two. Roiberg shut down the Bisons in the eighth, but Seth Kuwik set down the Toppers in order in the ninth for his first save of the season.
Western and Lipscomb will conclude their weekends series tomorrow at 1 p.m. (CST) at Dugan Field.
