With the split, Western is now 15-31 on the season and 5-12 in the Sun Belt, while Arkansas State is 27-18 and 7-10 in the league.
After seeing Arkansas State score three two-out runs in the first two innings of game two, the Hilltoppers exploded with nine runs in the bottom of the second. After a Marcus Ross walk started the inning, Antone Towns tripled to right, and came in to score on an ASU error to make it a one-run game. That was just the beginning as WKU loaded the bases with one out against Indian starter Tyler Goodwin. Scott Tharp came out of the bullpen in relief and hit Matt Ransdell, forcing in the tying run. Tim Grogan followed with a single to right, and Jordan Newton plated two more with a single to give WKU a three-run lead.
Ross, in his second plate appearance of the inning, cleared the bases with a triple to the left-center gap as WKU stretched the lead to 8-3. Towns then drove home the ninth run of the inning as his single brought home Ross.
WKU added four more in the fourth as Towns led off with a double, and pinch runner Michael Wilhite came home score on a one-out single from Ben Cooper. One out later, Eric Scriven drew a walk, and Ransdell plated Copper with a single to make it 11-3. Grogan followed with a bases-clearing double off the wall in right to push the Hilltopper lead to 10 runs.
Those runs proved to be important as Arkansas State came back with six runs in the top of the fifth inning. After ASU loaded the bases with one out against WKU starter Daniel Faulkner, Kevin Kull singled, driving home the fourth Indian run of the game. Brad Burkhead followed with the big blast of the inning as he hit a grand slam to right, making it a 13-8 game. That ended the day for Faulkner, but Arkansas State got one more run in the inning against reliever Miles Ormon as Michael Williams doubled home a run to cut the Topper lead to 13-9.
ASU made it a three-run game in the sixth as Rich led off with a solo home run — his third of the doubleheader — to make it 13-10. However, Ormon finished things by retiring the final six batters to record his second save of the season and give Western split.
Towns led the Hilltoppers with three hits in game two, while Ransdell, Grogan and Newton had two hits each. Faulkner (5-7) got the win on the mound for the Hilltoppers.
The Indians jumped out early in game one as the first two batters of the game singled, and Rich took a Grady Hinchman pitch over the wall in left as ASU took a 3-0 lead. Western came back right away in the bottom of the first, however, as a one-out walk to Grogan and a Newton single put runners at first and second. Ross followed with a single to plate Grogan with WKU’s first run. An error by Kevin Kull on the play allowed both runners to move up, and that proved to be costly as a groundout by Towns drove home Newton to make it a one-run game.
Arkansas State answered in the top of the second as, with two outs and the bases loaded, Geoff Desmond singled home a pair to stretch the advantage back out to 5-2. After a scoreless frame in the second, Western again got within a run with two in the third. After a leadoff walk to Grogan and another Newton single, Arkansas State starter Taylor Fowler uncorked a wild pitch as both runners moved into scoring position. Ross followed with a single up the middle that scored Grogan, and Towns drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Fowler then got Scriven to ground into a double play, but Newton scored on the play to pull WKU within one at 5-4.
Unfortunately for the Hilltoppers, ASU stretched the lead out again in the top as Rich and Desmond hit back-to-back two-out solo homers to push the lead back out to three and end the day for Hinchman. It remained a three-run game until the seventh when Hudson Smart led off with a double against Kenny Griffin and moved to third on a deep flyout by Burkhead. Mike Sirianni followed with a sacrifice fly to left as Smart scored to make it an 8-4 game.
ASU struck again in the eighth via the longball as Brett Kinning hit the fourth Indian home run of the game — a two-run shot — that gave Arkansas State at 10-4 lead. Western attempted to rally in the ninth as a double by Newton and an RBI groundout from Ross brought home two runs, but Michael Williams Jr. came in and shut the door as ASU took game one 10-6.
Fowler (6-6) got the win in the opener as he went 8.0 innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits, striking out five Hilltoppers. Hinchman (1-5) suffered the loss as he surrendered seven runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings of work. Newton led Western with four hits in the opener, while Ransdell finished 3-for-5. Kinning and Rich each had three hits to lead the Indians, with Rich driving in a game-high four runs.
On the day, Newton combined to go 6-for-8 in the two games, driving home three and scoring three times.
