WKU Game Notes (PDF)
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Baseball welcomes its Ohio counterpart, as Bowling Green comes to town for a three-game series at Nick Denes Field. The Friday-to-Sunday set begins each day with first pitch at 1 p.m., with all three games scheduled to be broadcasted on CUSA.tv.
Series Preview
This will be the fourth series between the Hilltoppers and Falcons, all in Bowling Green, Ky. WKU holds a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series, including a 4-3 victory - a combined two-hitter - in the team's most recent matchup Feb. 17, 2013.
Although BGSU won the first two games of the set, Tanner Perkins, Andrew Edwards and Ian Thompkins held the visitors to two hits to claim the finale. Perkins threw four shutout frames in his first start back from Tommy John, then in relief, Edwards struck out nine in 4.2 frames. The Falcons got three unearned runs across in the ninth before Thompkins came in to strike out the final batter to clinch the win.
Pitching will be key this time around, as well. The Hilltoppers will stick with their rotation of lefty Ryan Thurston, followed by righties Colby Taylor and Paul Kirkpatrick. In eight starts, the trio has combined for seven outings of five-plus innings and two or fewer earned runs. The three have held opposing batters to a .183 batting average (13-for-71) with runners on base.
After a 15-34 season in 2017, BGSU has gotten out to a 3-10 start this year under 28th-year head coach Danny Schmitz. Most recently, the Falcons suffered a 3-2, 12-inning loss at Evansville.
With the bats, BGSU is led by infielders Neil Lambert and Randy Righter, who have both started all 13 games. Lambert is slashing .354/.456/.500 with five extra-base hits and seven stolen bases, while Righter has scored a team-high 10 runs and boasts four extra-base hits of his own.
The Falcons will send a trio of righties to the bump, as Zac Carey, David Steward and Tyler Anderson are expected to receive the starting nods. Reliever Brad Croy leads the club with a 1.38 ERA in six appearances, including two saves. He has 21 strikeouts 13 innings pitched.
Midweek Recap
The Hilltoppers notched numerous season-high offensive marks in a 15-7 victory over Belmont on Tuesday evening. WKU's 15 runs, 17 hits, five homeruns and three doubles were all 2018 bests.
Tyler Robertson came into the contest with one homerun in 55 career games on The Hill, and he blasted two in a span of back-to-back at-bats, including a grand slam in the third inning.
Ray Zuberer III went a career-high 4-for-5 in his second straight game in the leadoff spot. The four hits and three runs scored surpassed his previous career-highs of two, while his two RBI matched a career best.
Along with Robertson's pair, Zuberer, Kevin Lambert and Jacob Rhinesmith all hit long balls for the Hilltoppers. Rhinesmith leads WKU with four homeruns on the season, all coming in two-out situations. The transfer from Indian Hills Community College has 13 RBI on the season, 11 of the two-out variety.
The WKU pitching staff held its own in the hitter-friendly E.S. Rose Park, most notably righties Maddex Richardson and Conner Boyd. Richardson threw 2.1 scoreless with a career-high four strikeouts to earn the win, while Boyd finished the game with two perfect innings.
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