Final Box Score 
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Trailing by a run entering the bottom of the seventh inning, WKU (1-0) stormed back with three in the bottom of the frame to secure its first win on Opening Day since the 2011 season with a 5-3 victory over Youngstown State (0-1).
The Hilltoppers and Penguins will play a Saturday doubleheader, with first pitch for Game 2 of the series slated to start at noon CT. Junior right-hander Cody Coll will get the ball for WKU, followed by junior southpaw Ryan Thurston for the final game of the series.
Sophomore Steven Kraft had a career-day for the Tops as he registered a career-high two RBI and scored a run while going 2-for-5 from the plate. Kraft singled through the left side in the fifth inning to score Ty Downing from second for WKU's first run of the 2016 season, and he was again involved in the all-important seventh frame for the Tops.
With freshman Steven DiPuglia on first after being hit by a pitch, Kraft knocked a liner into left center that would bring home DiPuglia to tie the game at 3-3. Thomas Peter then doubled down the left-field line to score Kraft to give WKU the lead for good. Peter would later score to cap off the three-run seventh inning on a Paul Murray single to give the Hilltoppers all the runs it would need in head coach John Pawlowski's first game.
Coach Pawlowski became the first WKU head coach to win his first game in charge since Joel Murrie did so when he took over for the 1980 campaign. With a win in the opener tomorrow, Pawlowski would be the first to claim two wins in his opening two contests since Hilltopper legend Nick Denes did so in 1958. E.A. Diddle (1923) was the last WKU coach to start his career on The Hill 3-0.
Josh Bartley earned the victory as he came in relief, allowing one hit, one run and striking out two in 1.2 innings of work. Kevin Elder slammed the door with 2.0 shutout innings to secure the save, recording five strikeouts in his six outs to match his career-high. The Hilltoppers finished the opener with 12 K's, walking just one batter, as Austin King started the game and allowed two runs in 5.1 innings pitched.
Danny Hudzina also had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run and a walk.
Youngstown State will give the ball to right-hander Jeremy Quinlan in the first of two games tomorrow, while freshman left-hander Collin Floyd will be on the mound for the Penguins in the final game.
