WKU 10, Austin Peay 6 (PDF)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- WKU threw the first punch and didn't look back Wednesday night at Austin Peay as the Hilltoppers capitalized on multiple Governor miscues to win their eighth-straight midweek contest at Raymond C. Hand Park, 10-6.
The Governors (22-21) out-hit the Hilltoppers (23-20) 15-7, but three passed balls and two errors doomed them defensively as WKU scored 10 runs on its seven hits. Senior first baseman Ryan Church and junior third baseman Danny Hudzina combined for four hits, five runs and four RBI to lead WKU's offensive charge.
Six different pitchers worked for WKU on a planned staff day and they struck out Austin Peay 10 more times after fanning 13 Governors in Tuesday's 6-5 win at Nick Denes Field. Senior Brandon Allen picked up his first win of 2015 after tying a career-high with four strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work behind starter Logan Weins. Allen was touched for eight hits but continually pitched around jams and limited the powerful Govs to one run.
WKU hung a crooked number in the scoring column right out of the gate as junior outfielder Anderson Miller reached on a fielding error and Hudzina ripped a double into right centerfield to put himself and Miller in scoring position. Church and fellow senior Philip Diedrick delivered the run-scoring blows in back-to-back at bats with consecutive sacrifice flies to bring home Miller and Hudzina.
The 2-0 advantage did not last long for the Hilltoppers, however, as Austin Peay shortstop tied the game in the bottom of the second inning with a bases-loaded, two-run single. The runs were tagged to Weins' line as he surrendered consecutive singles and a walk to jam the bases for Allen with one out. Allen limited the damage to keep WKU knotted at 2-2.
The Hilltoppers had an answer for the Governors tying rally in the third inning, which was sparked by freshman second baseman Steven Kraft. Kraft singled to start the third inning and advanced to second base on Miller's walk. Hudzina cracked a ball deep in the left centerfield gap that APSU's Cayce Bredlau caught on a layout dive, but heads-up base running by Kraft resulted in a rare two-base sac fly for Hudzina. Kraft tagged up and raced home from second base to put WKU back ahead, 3-2. Diedrick pushed the WKU advantage to 4-2 with a one-out RBI single to centerfield that plated Miller.
Allen worked scoreless third and fourth innings for the Hilltoppers to keep their lead at two runs before running into trouble in the fifth. Three-straight singles, capped by an RBI single from designated hitter Alex Robles, brought Austin Peay within 4-3 in the frame, but Allen responded with his fourth strikeout and a groundout to keep the lead in tact heading to the sixth inning.
Church broke the game open in the seventh inning as he smashed a 2-2 offering from Zach Walton over the left field fence for his fifth homer of the year. Church's blast plated two more Hilltopper runs to extend the WKU lead to 6-3. A sacrifice fly from Robles in the bottom of the seventh brought Austin Peay back within 6-4, but the Tops didn't let it get closer than that.
WKU drew four walks, three passed balls, two hit by pitches and a wild pitch in the eighth inning as it scored four runs while tallying just one hit in the frame. Freshman outfielder Grant Malott, Miller and Hudzina all raced home from third base on passed balls while Church scampered across home plate on a wild pitch to cap WKU's four-run frame that put it in control with a 10-4 advantage.
Bredlau lined a two-run double down the right field line to get two runs back for Austin Peay in the bottom of the eighth inning, but redshirt sophomore reliever Kevin Elder shut things down for WKU in the ninth inning. Elder forced to fly outs to right field and struck out pinch hitter Clayton Smithson looking to complete the midweek sweep of the Governors.
Church was 2-for-2 with three RBI, two walks and a homer to lead the Hilltoppers while Hudzina was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. Diedrick drove in a pair of runs on a single and a sac fly to account for four RBI in the midweek series against Austin Peay. Kraft continued to take advantage of his opportunity in the starting lineup as he tallied two more hits and scored a run.
The Hilltoppers ride the momentum of back-to-back midweek wins into this weekend's Conference USA series at first-place Middle Tennessee. Friday's first pitch is set for 7 p.m. (CT) in Murfreesboro, Tenn. and the game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports 2.
