BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Looking to build upon a four-game win streak, WKU baseball hosts rival Eastern Kentucky for a midweek contest on Tuesday, March 13. First pitch between the Hilltoppers and Colonels has been moved up to 1 p.m. due to the Men's Basketball team hosting an NIT game later that night.
Admission to the baseball game at Nick Denes Field will be free for all fans.
Series History
This will be the 138th meeting between the two clubs, with the first matchup actually being the first game in program history; a 6-0 Hilltopper victory in 1910. After not meeting from 2013-16, WKU and EKU will play a home-and-home series for the second consecutive season.
In 2017, the Colonels defeated the Hilltoppers 16-15 in 10 innings on March 8 in Richmond. The 31 total runs was the most ever in a WKU-EKU game.
Steven Kraft led the way with two homeruns in a 3-for-5 day, scoring three runs, driving in four and also reaching base twice via walk. Tyler Robertson also went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and four RBI, while scoring two runs of his own.
The second meeting was a more conventional game, as WKU claimed a 14-3 victory on May 3 at Nick Denes Field.
On his 21st birthday, Kaleb Duckworth filled up the stat sheet. The designated hitter went 2-for-3 - while also reaching base via walk and hit by pitch - stole two bases, scored three times and drove in four. He hit his fifth homerun of the season in the fifth inning to give WKU a 6-3 lead.
Hunter Wood went 3-for-5 while Colie Currie went 2-for-6 with a pair of doubles. Grayson Ivey put the icing on the cake with a solo homerun in the eighth inning, his lone long ball in a Hilltopper uniform.
Midweek Preview
A pair of lefties will oppose each other on the mound, with Evan Acosta for WKU facing off against EKU's Will Brian. Acosta will tally his fourth straight midweek start for the Hilltoppers. Although the junior sports a 0-0 record, WKU is 2-1 in games he has started.
Brian is 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA in six appearances - one start - for the Colonels. He was served a loss at Louisville on Feb. 20 when he gave up four runs in two innings, but still managed to strike out three. His win came across three innings of two-run ball vs. Coppin State on March 4. Most recently, he pitched two scoreless frames in a 6-4 loss at Belmont on March 10.
Entering Tuesday's game, EKU stands with a 5-11 overall record. Despite a 4-0 home record, the Colonels are 1-9 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites. After starting the season 0-4, EKU rallied from a 6-4 deficit in the ninth inning to defeat No. 15 Virginia, 7-6, in Charlottesville.
Other wins include a three-game sweep of Coppin State and a 9-0 victory over Bowling Green (a team WKU just swept in a three-game series)Â on Feb. 28 in a midweek matchup.
The middle infield boasts EKU's two most productive bats, as shortstop Ryland Kerr leads EKU with a .355/.394/.484 slash line while starting all 16 games. His 22 hits, six extra-base hits and 13 runs scored are all team-bests.
On the other side of the bag, freshman second baseman Daniel Harris IV is slashing .327/.340/.442 in 15 starts. Between Kerr and Harris, they have committed only two errors with a .986 and .980 fielding percentage, respectively.
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