Since 2005 (when WKU game-by-game records are available), there had been 12 occurrences - by six different players - of Hilltoppers hitting homeruns in three-consecutive contests. The feat was accomplished most recently by outfielder Anderson Miller from March 17-22, 2015, but only catcher Jordan Newton — from April 18-23, 2006 — had smacked a long ball in four-straight games.
Sanford's two-run dinger on Thursday afternoon made him the seventh WKU player with a homerun in three straight games, and marked the 12th occurrence since 2005. On Friday, the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, native wasted no time in matching Newton's achievement, launching the first offering from Tiger lefty Hunter Smith over the speed pitch structure in right field with two outs in the bottom of the first. The solo shot tied the game at 1-1 for the Hilltoppers.
But Memphis added one more in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-1 lead halfway through the contest before designated hitter Dillon Nelson - coming off a 3-for-4 performance at the plate the day before - knocked in two WKU runs on a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth to bring the hosts to within 4-3.
That's the closest the Hilltoppers would get, however, as the bats were shut out in the sixth and seventh. The Tigers then scored five in the eighth and three more in the ninth to push their run total to 12.
Nelson added a solo homerun in the eighth — his first of the season and second on The Hill — for WKU's final tally of the night, falling by a final score of 12-4.
Topper Notes
- Nelson has gone 5-for-8 in the first two games of the series with three extra-base hits, three runs scored and four driven in, raising his slash line from .229/.289/.257 to .302/.348/.442. His three runs batted in on Friday evening were a career-high.
- At the time this article was published, Sanford stood atop Conference USA with 10 extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple and four homeruns) and tied for the league lead in dingers. In addition, his .673 slugging percentage was fifth, 33 total bases tied for fifth and 14 runs batted in tied for seventh.
- Infielder Davis Sims laced a grounder up the middle in the seventh inning and a double to right field in the ninth, extending his hit streak to a team-high nine games. The graduate junior has at least one hit in all 10 of his starts this season and boasts a .347/.389/.490 slash line.
- Infielder Jack Wilson went 2-for-4, pushing his team-best batting average to .381; the Elizabethtown native leads the Hilltopper with six multi-hit games. Starting at third base for the ninth-consecutive game, Wilson made a pair of diving plays in the eighth inning for outs.
- Although he went 0-for-5 at the plate, left fielder Ray Zuberer III recorded outfield assists on back-to-back outs in the fifth inning. The Owensboro native leads WKU with four outfield assists on the season, two on plays at the plate and two on outs at third base.
- Richard Constantine pinch hit in the ninth inning and lined a single to left field on a 3-2 offering. The junior has now reached base in five-consecutive plate appearances as a pinch hitter over the past five contests, with three base hits, one walk and one hit by pitch.
- The Hilltoppers suffered their fifth-straight loss overall. WKU has not had longer than a five-game losing streak since dropping 10 to conclude the 2016 campaign.
Up Next
WKU and Memphis will conclude their series on Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m. It will be a dual of lefties, as Hilltopper sophomore Dalton Shoemake and Tiger junior Chris Durham will go head-to-head on the bump. So far this season, WKU is 3-0 on Sunday's.
