CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Colie Currie's two-out, RBI triple in the seventh inning put WKU Baseball ahead, then Ben Morrison and the bullpen held the lead for a one-run, 9-8 victory over Charlotte on Sunday afternoon.
Luke Brown and Steven Kraft combined to go 7-for-10 with six runs scored at the top two spots in the Hilltopper lineup, and Jacob Rhinesmith went 2-for-3 with a homerun and five RBI. Jacob Green retired the final two batters on eight pitches for his first-career save.
Things got started straightaway for the WKU bats, as Brown and Kraft led off the game with back-to-back singles. Rhinesmith drove in one run with a double to left-center, then Currie grounded home a second run as the Hilltoppers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Although the 49ers got one back in the bottom half off starter Evan Acosta, third baseman Nick Brunson saved at least one run with a diving snag of a line drive with two outs and a pair of runners on base.
In the very next frame, WKU broke the game wide open with a four-spot, as back-to-back two-out singles by Brown and Kraft scored Brunson and set up Rhinesmith with another run-scoring opportunity.
And the Shakopee, Minn., native converted, lining a 2-1 pitch into the Charlotte bullpen in right field for his 13th homerun of the season and second in as many games at Hayes Stadium. Rhinesmith became the first Conference USA player to reach 13 long balls this season, and the first Hilltopper with at least that many since Ryan Huck hit 16 in 2013.
But back came the 49ers with four runs in the third to knock Acosta out of the game, then another two in the fourth to take a 7-6 lead.
After three straight zeroes on the scoresheet, Brunson woke up the bats with two outs in the sixth. On a 3-2 count against 49er reliever Carson Pinkney, the Champaign, Ill., native blasted his first-career homerun to tie the game at 7-7. With the solo shot, Brunson became the 11th different Hilltopper to clear the fence this season.
WKU faced a deficit once again after the bottom of the sixth, started by a leadoff single off Morrison by Harris Yett. Following a fielder's choice, baserunner Drew Ober stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a sacrifice fly.
Back came the Hilltoppers once again in the seventh, and once again Brown and Kraft started the rally with base hits.
With the runners in scoring position and zero outs, Rhinesmith's third sacrifice fly of the series scored Brown to tie the game. With two outs, Currie's third three-bagger of the year scored Kraft and put WKU ahead 9-8.
Morrison held the 49ers scoreless in the seventh and eighth, despite there being a baserunner on second and only one out in each of those frames.
After issuing a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth, head coach John Pawlowski went to Austin Tibbs in relief. The lefty got one out, then the righty Green came in for the final two outs - a strikeout and a ground ball - to secure the victory.
Topper Notes
- WKU improved to 6-2 in the final game of C-USA series, 6-2 when hitting two-plus homeruns, 4-6 in one-run contests and 5-17 when being out-hit.
- The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Hilltoppers. WKU has not had a slide of more than five games since the end of the 2016 campaign.
- Luke Brown tied a career high with four hits for the second time in the series, going 4-for-5 with three runs and a stolen base. The freshman has 15 multi-hit games in the past 25 games, raising his batting average from .195 to .352 in that span.
- Steven Kraft increased his team-high slash line to .376/.484/.490 with a 3-for-5 day. The senior scored a career-high three runs for the fifth time this season and now boasts a 12-game hit streak in C-USA play.
- Jacob Rhinesmith tied a career-high with five RBI, with the other such game coming vs. West Virginia on March 4. The center fielder had eight RBI in the series after driving in only four in 19 games coming into the weekend.
Topper Quotes
- "Our guys just did an outstanding job today, really proud of our team. We've had a lot of good wins; this is as good of a team effort as we've had all year." — Head coach John Pawlowski
- "To win games like this, somebody needs to do something extraordinary or something they don't normally do. Look at what Nick Brunson did, he got a high fastball and turned on it, what a great swing by him." — Head coach John Pawlowski
Up Next
With no midweek game due to finals, WKU's next action will be a C-USA home series vs. FIU. First pitch on Friday will be at 12 noon due to University graduation, with game times at 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday to follow. The Hilltoppers will honor their 2018 Senior Class prior to the series finale, with pre-game ceremonies starting at approximately 12:30 p.m. on May 13.
