Just as they did in Saturday’s first game, the Indians (27-18, 8-10 SBC) jumped out early, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs in the first inning off Hilltopper starter Stephen Muck. After ASU loaded the bases with one out, Hudson Smart doubled to right, plating the first two runs of the game. Kevin Kull then cleared the bases with a single up the middle as the Indians grabbed a 4-0 advantage. After recording the second out of the inning, Muck surrendered back-to-back singles to Mike Sirianni and Chris Prothro as the fifth Arkansas State run of the inning crossed the plate, forcing WKU coach Joel Murrie to go to the bullpen early.
J.C. Faircloth took the mound in relief and walked Michael Williams to load the bases. Brett Kinning then doubled home two more runs, but Williams was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Matt Ransdell set the table for WKU (15-32, 5-13 SBC) in the bottom of the first with a double off the wall in left center. Western then took advantage of some ASU miscues in the field as Jordan Newton reached on a Sirianni error at third, and an error by Chris Rich at short allowed Ransdell to score Western’s first run. Indian starter Blake Ring limited the damage as he got a double-play groundball, but Newton came home on the play to cut the deficit to 7-2. Arkansas State got one of those runs back in the top of the second, however, as Geoff Desmond hit a solo homer to left to make it a six-run game.
Western got another run in second when an Eric Scriven RBI groundout plated Corteze Armstrong. Newton then cut the ASU lead in half in the third when his 11th home run of the season made it an 8-4 game.
Western continued to chip away in the fifth, plating three more runs. A one-out double by Ransdell got the rally started. Newton then lifted a fly ball to left center, but the two Indian outfielders collided for a three-base error. Marcus Ross and Antone Towns followed with back-to-back run-scoring doubles as Western made it a one-run game. Western was unable to plate the tying run, however, as Indian reliever Brandon Westmoreland retired two straight Hilltoppers to keep it an 8-7 game.
WKU completed the comeback one inning later, however, as Armstrong and Michael Wilhite started the inning with back-to-back singles. Scriven then laid down a sacrifice bunt that Westmoreland threw away at first, allowing Armstrong to score the tying run. Ransdell followed with a single up the middle as Wilhite came home to score and give Western its first lead of the day at 9-8. Unfortunately for the Hilltoppers, the lead was short-lived as Kull hit a three-run homer in the seventh to give Arkansas State an 11-9 lead.
Arkansas State got two more in the eighth on a Rich sacrifice fly and Smart single to increase the lead to 13-9. The Indians then added three more in the ninth on a Chris Prothro solo home run and a Kinning two-run shot to extend the lead to 16-9. Western was unable to mount a rally in the ninth as ASU picked up the seven-run victory in the finale.
Western collected 14 hits in the contest, with Ransdell, Armstrong and Wilhite finishing with three hits each. Kinning and Prothro each had four hits to lead the 19-hit Arkansas State attack.
Faircloth (1-4) suffered the loss despite allowing just four runs in 5.2 innings of relief. Westmoreland (7-1) got the win for ASU in relief.
The Hilltoppers hit the road for their next four games, beginning with a nonconference battle against instate rival Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday (May 12) at 2 p.m. (CDT) in Richmond. WKU will then play their final road games of the regular season at Florida International next weekend.
