CHARLOTTE, N.C. – WKU Baseball fell to (RV) Charlotte, 13-12, in its series finale on Sunday afternoon at Hayes Stadium.
Both teams battled back and forth throughout the contest, with the game featuring three ties and four lead changes while ending with a walk-off by the 49ers.
The Hilltoppers earned their first lead of the game in the top of the fifth, pulling ahead 4-3, before Charlotte answered back with eight runs in the bottom of the inning to take an 11-4 advantage. WKU fought back to take a 12-11 lead in the top of the ninth, but couldn't hold off the 49ers in the bottom of the frame, with a bases-loaded walk-off RBI single giving Charlotte the 13-12 win.
"Our kids battled offensively today," said head coach John Pawlowski. "We had some really big moments after being down. You just have to be able to close the deal. We had some trouble in the middle innings when they put up a big number on the board. We had three guys come in and they just weren't able to fill up the strike zone. We kind of self-imploded a little bit from the mound. We just have to be able to close things out, we didn't do that today. It's hard to describe the emotion that's going through this team. We were two outs away from winning, but you have to execute and you have to get those final outs."
WKU utilized six pitchers in its series finale against the 49ers, with the group combining to allow 13 runs and five walks while striking out four batters in 8.1 innings of action. Logan Bowen produced a strong showing in relief action, tossing 3.0 scoreless frames while allowing just one hit and recording a strikeout.
Offensively, the Hilltoppers racked up 14 hits and three walks, with four players amassing multi-hit performances. Ty Batusich and Brett Blomquist each went 3-for-4 while adding home runs in the contest, with Tristin Garcia compiling a 3-for-5 outing and Brian McAuliffe adding two hits to go along with a home run.
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will return home to host Evansville at 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, March 22 at Nick Denes Field.
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