HATTIESBURG, Miss. – WKU Baseball used a five-run sixth inning to spur a 9-4 victory over (RV) Southern Miss in its series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Down 3-2 heading into the top of the sixth, the Hilltoppers used five runs in the frame to jump ahead, controlling the game from there to come away with the win.
"Our hitters did a great job and I was really excited to see what they could do," said head coach John Pawlowski. "They came out and competed today. Southern Miss is a team that has a top-15 RPI in the country, so to go into their place and beat them on the road bodes well for our team, it should give our team some confidence."
Luke Stofel earned the starting nod for the Hilltoppers, allowing just two hits and two earned runs over 3.0 innings of work. Ryan O'Connell entered in the fourth frame to relieve Stofel, recording his first win of the season while surrendering just one run and striking out a pair in 2.1 innings of action.
Dalton Shoemake then closed things out for WKU, picking up his first save of the year after allowing just two hits and tying a career high with six strikeouts in 3.2 frames.
At the plate, the Hilltoppers racked up 12 hits and five walks, with two players producing multi-hit performances. Justin Carlin led the way, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Kevin Lambert went 3-for-5 to go along with two runs and an RBI.
SCORING SUMMARY
Southern Miss got on the board first, scoring two runs in the second inning to take an early lead.
The Hilltoppers tied it up in the top of the third, with Carlin ripping a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 2-2.
The Golden Eagles answered back in the bottom of the inning, using a solo shot down the left field line to regain their lead.
WKU then used five runs in the top of the sixth to jump ahead. Lambert started things off with an RBI-single to center field before scoring later in the inning off an RBI from Matt Phipps. Shortly after, Ray Zuberer III ripped a two-RBI double to right field, with Jackson Gray then capping off the inning with a sac fly to put the score at 7-3.
Southern Miss added one run in the bottom of the inning, using an RBI-groundout to make it 7-4.
The Hilltoppers would go on to add runs in the seventh and eighth inning via an RBI-groundout by Ricardo Leonett and solo shot by Carlin, leading to the eventual 9-4 victory.
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will head to Huntington, W.V., for a four-game series against Marshall beginning at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, April 30.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
