Toppers Split Doubleheader to Begin C-USA Play

Saturday, March 18

Nick Denes Field

3:30 PM

Western Kentucky University

7-13, 1-1

UAB-2

12-7, 1-1

UAB

WKU

3/18/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score (G1) | Box Score (G2) | Season Statistics
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Playing a doubleheader for the second straight weekend, WKU Baseball split the two games against Conference USA foe UAB on Saturday afternoon. The Hilltoppers won the first game by a score of 9-6, and dropped the second to the Blazers, 8-4. Top performances on the day included a three extra-base hit effort from Hunter Wood in Game 1 and a pair of solo homeruns by Thomas Peter, with one in each contest.

Game 1
After Friday's game between the two club was pushed back to a doubleheader, Ryan Thurston looked for a third consecutive start of 10-plus strikeouts. The lefty did not quite get there, but he did end up punching out seven in 5.1 innings, pushing his season total to 45 in 29 innings of work. Thurston gave way to reliever Kevin Elder in the sixth and ended his day allowing five runs, though only two were earned.

On the bump for UAB was Garrett Whitlock, who entered the game allowing only 14 hits and two runs in 31.1 innings. After being held to one unearned run through three frames, the WKU (7-13, 1-1) offense erupted with a pair of runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings.

With Kaleb Duckworth on first base and running on the pitch, Colie Currie ripped an RBI double down the right field line. Two batters later, Steven DiPuglia legged out a two-out, infield single to score Currie from third base to give the Hilltoppers a 3-2 lead.

After Thurston blanked the Blazers in the top of the fifth, the bats rewarded him with a 5-2 lead courtesy of back-to-back solo homeruns from Wood and Peter. It was the first time WKU teammates hit consecutive long balls since Ryan Church and Danny Hudzina on April 19, 2015, at FIU.

But with UAB coming back to tie the game, 5-5, the Hilltoppers added four in the bottom of the seventh. Steven Kraft led off with a double and was bunted to third by Tyler Robertson. Back-to-back RBI knocks from Wood and Peter gave WKU a 7-5 lead and chased Whitlock, who had his afternoon ended with 11 hits and eight runs - seven earned - allowed in 6.1 innings.

Duckworth and Kevin Lambert later added two-out, RBI base hits off reliever Adam Lamar to give the Hilltoppers a 9-5 lead. Elder earned his second win of the season as Conner Boyd came in for the final two innings and allowed one run with two strikeouts, including one of the looking variety to cap the 9-6 victory.

Game 2
After UAB got out to a 1-0 in the first inning for the second straight game, WKU responded with some two-out action in the bottom half. Peter lined a 3-2 pitch over the third baseman's head for an RBI double that scored Kraft, then Grayson Ivey followed with a double that rattled the left field wall to drive in Peter and give the Hilltoppers a 2-1 lead.

But the Blazers strung together seven hits across the third and fourth innings and plated five runs, as the visitors jumped out to a 6-2 lead on starter Paul Kirkpatrick. The righty recovered, though, posting scoreless frames in the next four innings as his club chipped away at the lead.

Peter led off the bottom of the fourth with another solo shot, giving him three for the season.Two innings later, Duckworth rolled a grounder through the right side to score Robertson with two outs and bring the score within 6-4 with nine outs to work with. But that is the closest WKU would get, as UAB (12-7, 1-1) added two in the top of the ninth to take an 8-4 lead; the eventual final score.

Kirkpatrick finished with 7.2 innings and only 94 pitches - 63 of which were strikes. He posted three strikeouts compared to only one walk, which was a four-pitch free pass to his final better of the game in the eighth frame. Through his first five starts, Kirkpatrick boasts a stellar 16-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Play of the Day
With the rarity of the wind blowing out at Nick Denes Field, homeruns might have been to be expected in the 18 innings. Indeed, it was back-to-back dingers from seniors Hunter Wood and Thomas Peter that lifted the Hilltoppers to victory. Wood hit what could be the longest shot of the season in Bowling Green, clearing the right-center field fence with ease as UAB center fielder Brewer Hicklen barely flinched. Peter followed four pitches later with a line drive to left field and he celebrated Bash Brothers style with his backstop as he arrived back at the dugout.

What's Up Next
WKU looks for its second series win of the season Sunday with first pitch against the Blazers at 1 p.m. The Hilltoppers will send lefty Evan Acosta out to the mound, while UAB will also throw a southpaw, Thomas Lowery. Acosta's most recent start was a gem, as the Batavia, Illinois, native threw seven innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts in a 3-2 midweek win over Belmont on March 7.