BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Baseball scored all of its runs with two outs, defeating Marshall 6-2 in Game 2 of the Friday doubleheader. Lefty Evan Acosta got the final 11 outs and allowed only one hit, while tying a career high with five strikeouts.
In Game 1 in the afternoon, the Thundering Herd held on to a 6-5 win despite numerous Hilltopper rallies throughout the contest. WKU overcame a pair of two-run deficits and put the game-tying run on second base in the ninth inning.
Game 1
Marshall took a 2-0 lead on starter Ryan Thurston going into the bottom of the third before WKU put forth its first scoring effort.
Steven Kraft doubled down the left-field line to score Kevin Lambert, then Colie Currie hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Nick Brunson. The infielders Lambert and Brunson got the rally going with a walk and single, respectively, to begin the inning.
Thurston worked through his shortest outing of the season, exiting after four innings and 101 pitches, but still keeping WKU in a 2-2 game. The lefty struck out four, walked five and allowed four hits, but was able to avoid any substantial damage on the scoreboard.
Righty Colby Taylor was the first one out of the bullpen and allowed an unearned run in the fifth, followed by an earned one in the sixth.
The Hilltoppers loaded the bases in the bottom half of that frame, and a two-run, line-drive single to center field by Luke Brown tied the game, once again, at 4-4. Tyler Robertson, who walked on four pitches, and Ray Zuberer III, who extended his hit streak to seven games with a single, scored on the play.
WKU relief ace Ben Morrison entered the game in the seventh with two outs and a pair of Thundering Herd baserunners, but a swinging strikeout of Andrew Zban ended the frame. The righty allowed a pair of two-out, RBI singles in the eighth, however, as Marshall took a 6-4 lead.
Following a scoreless inning from righty Jacob Green in the top of the ninth, the Hilltoppers put forth a rally in their last licks. A two-out, RBI single by Robertson scored Jacob Rhinesmith with the fifth run of the game, then Zuberer singled to put runners on first and second with two outs.
But Thundering Herd reliever Matt Reed got Colin Butkiewicz to fly out to center field to secure the 6-5 win in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Marshall eked out a win despite throwing only 80-of-161 pitches for strikes, walking 10 WKU hitters in the contest.
Game 2
Hilltopper starter Paul Kirkpatrick started out with a pair of scoreless frames, allowing the offense to put forth the opening run in the bottom of the second.
With runners on first and second and two outs, Nick Brunson chopped a ball over the pitcher's mound. Marshall second baseman Peter Hutzal attempted to make an off-balance play and overthrew first baseman Will Ray, allowing Luke Brown to take an extra base and score on the error for a 1-0 lead.
But back came the Thundering Herd in the third, using three hits and a walk to put up a pair of runs and take a 2-1 advantage. But Kirkpatrick kept his cool, striking out the final two batters of the inning to strand runners on the corners.
After Tyler Robertson bunted a pair of runners into scoring position, Richard Constantine extended his hit streak to five and on-base streak to six with a two-out, two-run single. Steven Kraft and Jacob Rhinesmith came around to score, as WKU took a 3-2 lead they would hold for the final six frames.
Kirkpatrick went 5.1 innings, allowing nine base hits and two walks, but posted scoreless frames in 4-of-5 complete columns. He gave way to reliever Evan Acosta with two on and one out in the sixth, and the lefty was able to retire the next two Marshall batters to hold the 5-2 lead.
The Hilltoppers added two more runs in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single by Colie Currie with the bases loaded. Then WKU (16-18, 6-8) tallied a sixth run in the sixth, when Luke Brown chopped an infield single in a bases-loaded situation.
The Thundering Herd (15-16, 5-9) managed only a single and a hit by pitch across the final three innings, which were all zeroes fired by Acosta. The junior from Batavia, Ill., recorded his second career save, both of the three-plus-inning variety. On Feb. 25 of last season, Acosta pitched the final three frames of a 14-4 victory vs. Jacksonville State.
Topper Notes
- With their 16th victory of the season, the Hilltoppers have matched their win total from their 16-39 record in 2017. With the team's sixth Conference USA victory of the season, WKU has matched its league win total from a 6-24 record in 2017.
- Ray Zuberer III recorded his eighth multi-hit game of the season in Game 1, while Luke Brown posted his seventh of the year in Game 2.
- Steven Kraft tied a career high, for the fourth time, with three runs scored in Game 2. The senior reached base in 5-of-10 plate appearances combined, raising his season slash line to .362/.487/.468.
Up Next
For now, Game 3 of the series will take place at its originally scheduled time and day of Sunday, April 15 at 1 p.m. Starting pitchers for both WKU and Marshall are currently TBA.
