BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Senior catcher Matt Rice's eighth-inning RBI single lifted the Western Kentucky University baseball team to a 2-1 series-clinching win against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the eight, WKU left fielder Jared Andreoli and second baseman Ivan Hartle tallied back-to-back singles to bring Rice to the plate with one out. Rice then drove a 2-1 pitch to left field to bring home Andreoli and put the Hilltoppers in front for good. Hartle finished the game 2-for-3.
"That was a case of the right guy in the right spot," WKU coach Chris Finwood said. "Andreoli gets us going and Hartle gets a single. Matt was dealing with the breaking ball, that's was all that guy was throwing, and fortunately he got one up in the zone and was able to get the RBI for us.
"I think the teams are really evenly matched, I thought that going into the series, offense, defense, pitching. Their pitching numbers were a little better going in but we have matched them there obviously and it was just going to come down to who made some big plays or gets a big hit and so far in the first two games, we have done both."
WKU (20-11, 8-3 Sun Belt) improves to 12-2 at home this season and has now won 21 of its last 22 home series dating back to 2008.
Louisiana-Lafayette (17-13, 6-5) has dropped back-to-back games after entering the weekend having won nine of its last 10.
Hilltoppers junior Ross Hammonds (1-1) shut out the Ragin' Cajuns on two hits with a strikeout through two innings. Fellow reliever Phil Wetherell picked up his third save of the season as he retired the side in order in the ninth.
Starting pitcher left-hander Tanner Perkins allowed one run on six hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts in six innings.
Ragin' Cajuns senior right-hander Joey Satriano (2-2) gave up one run on four hits while striking out three in two innings. Starter Joe Zimmerman limited WKU to one run on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts in six innings.
WKU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI double by designated hitter Chris Bullard, scoring center fielder Kes Carter who singled to lead off the inning.
Louisiana-Lafayette tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth on an RBI triple by designated hitter Lance Marvel. Right fielder Mike Petello scored on the player after he singled with one out.
The Ragin' Cajuns threatened with runners at first and third and one out in the top of the eighth inning before Hammonds forced Marvel to ground into an inning-ending double play, started by a remarkable stop by third baseman Casey Dykes. The Hilltoppers defense also turned double plays to end the first and third innings.
"Casey is just an absolute vacuum over there," Rice said. "I know he is disappointed in the way he has been swinging it, but he has been winning us games over there at third base, making plays. Yesterday he made a couple back hands and that double play in eighth today was probably the biggest play of the game and that is just helping us so much having him over there."
The Hilltoppers will go for the series sweep at 11 a.m. Sunday. WKU will send redshirt senior right-hander Brian Edelen (3-1, 4.86 ERA) against ULL left-hander T.J. Geith (3-2, 4.26).
