Lefty Dalton Shoemake made his second start in as many weeks, but was tagged for eight hits — seven singles — and six runs in 3.1 innings. Halfway through the game, the Hilltoppers trailed 8-1 before making some noise in the bottom of the fifth.
Shortstop Kevin Lambert — who went 2-for-3 and was 1-of-4 WKU hitters with multiple knocks on the day — started the inning with a line drive into right-center. He trotted home on Sims' one-out homerun, which scurried into the Hilltoppers' left-field bullpen on a 1-2 pitch from Memphis starter Chris Durham.
Then, after Sanford lined his second double of the day off the center-field wall, designated hitter Dillon Nelson slapped a hit back up the middle to make it an 8-4 game. The rally did not look like it would stop there, as infielder Jack Wilson knocked a two-out single to put runners on the corners for catcher Matt Phipps.
The Tigers made a pitching change to righty Bailey Wemberly, who Phipps greeted with a 3-2 line drive to right-center field. WKU would have scored two more runs with Wilson running on the pitch, but right fielder Keith Stepter made an otherworldly diving catch to rob the Hilltoppers and maintain a four-run lead for the visitors.
WKU would get no closer, as the game went scoreless in the sixth and seventh frames before Memphis added one more in each of the eighth and ninth innings.
Topper Notes
- Sanford failed to hit a homerun for a fifth-straight game, but his four-hit day was the first of 2019 by a Hilltopper. In the three-game series against the Tigers, Sanford slashed .462/.500/1.077 with four extra-base hits, four runs scored and four batted in. At the time this article was published, his .722 slugging percentage and 12 extra-base hits (seven doubles, one triple and four homeruns) both ranked second in Conference USA.
- Sims extended his team-high hit streak to 10 games with his homerun. It was the Paducah native's first at Nick Denes Field and 19th of his collegiate career. For the season, his .333/.373/.519 slash line is catching up to his .333/.403/.552 mark over the past two seasons at Murray State.
- Nelson recorded his third-straight multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with two runs batted in. In the three-game series against Memphis, Nelson slashed .538/.538/1.000 with four extra-base hits, six runs batted in and three scored.
- Phipps recorded the other multi-hit game for WKU, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles to left field. The diving grab by Stepter robbed the junior of his first extra-base hit since Feb. 24 vs. Eastern Illinois.
- Wilson reached base in 3-of-4 plate appearances, with a hit by pitch, single and walk in the game. He currently leads the Hilltoppers with a .381 batting average and .481 on-base percentage overall this season.
Topper Quotes
- "Our guys are competitive, but it just came down to execution and we just didn't execute in a lot of different phases of the game this weekend. We've played a lot of different guys, tried different guys in different roles. We've learned a lot, but also know we have a lot of work yet to do." — Head coach John Pawlowski.
- "The guys are working at it, their work ethic is good. We need to continue to work and get better and prepare for success. I know they're disappointed about this weekend and where we're out right now, but this isn't the [WKU] team we're going to see as the season progresses. We'll get better." — Head coach John Pawlowski.
- "They pretty much just outplayed us — pitching, defense and offense — give them credit, they have a good [team] ... I love how even though we're going through this tough time, we're staying together and we're a family. That's all that matters right now." — Shortstop Kevin Lambert.
Up Next
WKU will travel to Lexington on Wednesday to face in-state and SEC foe Kentucky. The Wildcats stand at 11-4 overall after a three-game sweep of the Hilltoppers' C-USA rival Middle Tennessee over the weekend, including both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday. "Big Blue" is 8-1 at newly-constructed Kentucky Proud Park, a $49 million facility completed just prior to the 2019 season. The game will begin at 3 p.m. CT; WKU fans can follow along on the SEC Network + live stream and listen to the broadcast on the Hilltopper-IMGÂ Sports Network.
