BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Baseball swept its second straight doubleheader by scores of 5-4 and 9-3 over visiting Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep of the Falcons in the process. It was the Hilltoppers' first sweep of a non-conference opponent since Southern Illinois in 2015.
Jacob Rhinesmith went 5-for-9 between the two games with three homeruns, two doubles and five RBI. Paul Kirkpatrick started, and finished, Game 2 for his second complete game on The Hill.
Game 1
Just as it did in a 17-5 victory on Friday, WKU got out to another quick start in the first inning. Ray Zuberer III led off with a line-drive single up the middle, then Rhinesmith smacked a two-run homerun on the first pitch he saw from BGSU starter Tyler Anderson.
Later in the frame, Colie Currie - who reached on a fielder's choice - scored from second base on a single through the left side by Luke Brown.
In the midst of four scoreless innings to open the game from starter Colby Taylor, it was Tyler Robertson who knocked in his 11th run in the past three games to give the Hilltoppers a 4-0 cushion. Robertson singled in Steven Kraft - who singled and stole second - with two out.
Taylor got in a bit of trouble in the fifth and sixth innings, allowing one run in each frame before he was lifted after 5.2 innings for reliever Michael Darrell-Hicks with runners on the corners. Hicks painted the black on a 3-2 fastball to strike out Ty Suntken and keep a 4-2 lead intact.
WKU got an all-important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Currie led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a ground out by Robertson. The Falcons brought in a lefty to face Brown, who fought off a 1-2 pitch into right-center field for a sacrifice fly and a 5-2 lead.
BGSU fought back with a pair of runs off Hicks in the seventh, but was shut down by reliever Austin Tibbs. The lefty struck out all three batters he faced on only 10 pitches before he was lifted for closer Ben Morrison with two out in the eighth.
Morrison struck out the final Falcon of that frame and retired the first batter in the ninth before allowing back-to-back singles. But with runners on the corners, Morrison struck out Jeff Scott swinging and Dylan Dohanos looking to close out a 5-4 win, which was his fourth save of the season.
Game 2
Like clockwork, Jacob Rhinesmith homered to right field on the first pitch of his first-inning at-bat to give WKU (9-7) an early 1-0 lead. But the resilient BGSU (3-13) team responded with three runs on three hits off Paul Kirkpatrick in the second for the visitors' first lead of the weekend.
It did not last long, though, as the Hilltoppers put up a five-spot in the bottom half of the frame for a 6-3 advantage.
The bottom of the order got things going, as Kevin Lambert cleared the bases with a three-run double to the right-center field gap. He was thrown out at third base for the second out, but WKU would not go quietly.
Ray Zuberer III worked a walk, then Rhinesmith connected for a two-run homeruns. It was his second long ball in the first two innings, third of the day, fourth of the week and seventh of the season.
It was all zeroes for Kirkpatrick the rest of the way, as he allowed only four singles and struck out 10 in the final seven innings for his second-career complete game; the first was a 120-pitch effort in a 4-3 victory on April 8, 2017, at UTSA.
This time around, the senior from Austin, Texas, punched out a career-high 11 on 113 pitches - 79 strikes. He walked only one on the day and now boasts a 22-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year.
Jake Ryan became the ninth different Hilltopper to homer when he took Brad Croy deep into the left-field bullpen to lead off the fourth inning, which gave WKU a 7-3 lead.
A pair of Rhinesmith doubles followed by Steven Kraft RBI hits in both the sixth and eighth innings got the hosts their final two runs in the 9-3 win.
Up Next
Riding their second four-game win streak of the season, the Hilltoppers host Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, March 13, with first pitch at 3 p.m. at Nick Denes Field. WKU and EKU split their home-and-home series in 2017, the home team winning each contest.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
