BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball dropped its series opener against (RV) Southern Miss, 10-8, on Friday night at Nick Denes Field.
After heading into bottom of the eighth down 8-1, the Hilltopper offense erupted for five runs in the frame to get back into the game, but WKU ultimately couldn't catch the Golden Eagles after both teams scored two runs in the ninth.
"I really liked the way we competed," said head coach John Pawlowski. "The first five or six innings their pitcher was cutting us up pretty good with a lot of quick pitches a lot of ground balls where we really didn't square anything up. As the game turned in the later innings, we gave some really quality at-bats and hit some balls hard and found a way to climb back into the game. That's what this team is about, they're not going to go away. I really like the way we competed, especially in the second half of the game."
Jake Kates earned the starting nod for the Hilltoppers, allowing five runs while recording three strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. WKU utilized Bill Duby, Luke Sinnard and Logan Bowen from there, with the trio combining to allow five runs (four earned) while striking out five in 3.0 frames.
Offensively, the Hilltoppers racked up 11 hits and two walks, with three players producing multi-hit performances. Tristin Garcia led the way with a 3-for-4 outing, while Justin Carlin and Brian McAuliffe each added two hits apiece.
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will continue their series against Southern Miss at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 26 at Nick Denes Field.
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