ATHENS, Ga. -- In the opening game of the Bulldog Invitational, WKU (3-1) used a four-run third inning to secure a 5-2 victory over Cincinnati (0-4), giving the Hilltoppers their best start to a season since winning their first five games to open the 2011 campaign.
The Tops will play (RV) South Alabama in their second game of the tournament on Saturday, with first pitch slated for 11 a.m. CT. Right-handed pitcher Cody Coll will be on the mound for WKU.
In the victory, the Hilltoppers racked up 10 hits and only had to use two pitchers. WKU has now produced three consecutive games with double-digit hits and have scored a combined 23 runs in those fixtures.
Thomas Peter's first-career home run with two outs was the highlight of the big third inning for WKU, which scored Steven Kraft from second after his double to center. Danny Hudzina then followed the Peter homer with a triple off the wall in right field before Kaleb Duckworth's RBI single scored him. Peter finished the contest with three RBI on two hits.
Duckworth capped off the scoring for the Hilltoppers in the bottom of third as Paul Murray smacked his second double of the day to score him from first. Murray continued his hot start to 2016 as he went 3-for-4 from the plate. He extended his hitting streak to seven games dating back to last season, which ties his career long, and has now reached base in 12-straight.
In his second start of the year, left-handed pitcher Austin King gave WKU an excellent showing on the mound as he went 6.1 innings with six strikeouts, equaling his career high, and only allowed one run. With the victory, King has already matched his win total from his debut season on The Hill as he has only given up three runs while striking out 11 batters in his first two starts.
Following King on the mound was junior reliever Kevin Elder, who picked up his second save of the year. Elder finished out the strong start by King by only surrendering one run on one hit, while striking out three Cincinnati batters in 2.2 innings of work. The Bearcats' biggest threat came in the seventh, but Elder was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam to preserve the WKU lead.
Sophomore Steven Kraft had another productive day with this bat, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. From his leadoff spot, he has a .375 batting average and has had multiple hits in three of the first four games of 2016. Redshirt-junior Zach Janes tallied the other hit for the Hilltoppers in the game, the first of his career.
