Toppers Fall in Saturday Doubleheader to Rice

Saturday, April 22

Nick Denes Field

7:30 PM

Western Kentucky University

Rice-2

4/22/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score (G1) | Season Statistics
Box Score (G2) | Photo Gallery

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. —Playing its third doubleheader of the 2017 season Saturday evening, WKU Baseball lost both games to visiting Rice by scores of 10-5 and 13-2. Top performances by the Hilltoppers included a stellar appearance by Jeff Ciocco in Game 1 when he struck out a career-high nine hitters, along with Chris Rogers' first career multi-hit performance in Game 2 with one batted in, one scored and a walk.

Game 1
Rice scored seven runs in the second inning off WKU starter Evan Acosta, but only two of which were earned due to a fielding error early in the frame. After falling behind 9-0, the Hilltoppers got one back in the sixth when Rogers beat out a potential double play with the bases loaded and earned an RBI fielder's choice that scored Colie Currie, who led off the inning with a walk.

In the bottom of the eighth came some more damage for WKU, as Grayson Ivey laced a pinch-hit, two-run double with the bases loaded and Kevin Lambert later drove in Ivey with a triple that hit near the right-field foul pole. In-between the two extra-base hits, Marshall Smith brought in a run with an RBI ground out and the score was cut to 9-5.

Ben Morrison pitched the final inning for the Hilltoppers, allowing his first run of the season as the game reached its final score of 10-5.

From the 3rd-to-8th frames, Ciocco was at his best. The New Jersey native fanned nine Owls - five swinging and four looking - over six frames in 94 pitches. He allowed five hits and two runs, but did not walk a batter in an encore performance in a stellar start April 18 at Murray State.

Game 2
Rice got out to a 4-0 lead in the second contest of the evening, but WKU bounced back with a pair in the bottom half of the second frame. After Thomas Peter was hit by a pitch, Rogers laced a line-drive double that rolled to the left-center field wall to score a run. Three batters later, Tyler Robertson lined a ball to center field that was misplayed by the center fielder and the Hilltoppers second baseman ended up at third base with a triple.

Robertson lined another ball to center field in the fifth inning for a multi-hit game, while Rogers chopped a single up the middle in the fourth for his second base knock of the nightcap. Bryson Smith - as well as Marshall and Steven DiPuglia later in the game - added singles for the Hilltoppers.

That was all the offense for the home team, however, as the Owls scored three apiece in the fourth, fifth and ninth innings for their 13-2 victory. Paul Kirkpatrick and Kevin Elder pitched the majority of the game for the Hilltoppers before Logan Weins came in for the final out in the ninth.

What's Up Next
WKU will play Austin Peay on April 25 in the road edition of the home-and-home series between the two clubs this season. First pitch for the game will be at 6 p.m. in Clarksville Tennessee, six days after the Governors defeated the Hilltoppers by a score of 7-3 on April 19 at Nick Denes Field.