BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball clinched a series win over Dayton with a 6-1 victory on Saturday night at Nick Denes Field.
With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Kirk Liebert hit a two-RBI single to score Ty Crittenberger and Matthew Meyer in what kicked off a five-run inning to help seal the deal and give the Hilltoppers a series-clinching win over the Flyers.
"It feels great," said head coach Marc Rardin. "What you want the kids to see, being the new guy and bringing a new philosophy, you want them to reap some of the benefits of all the changes they are going through, so it is nice for them to see that part of it with how we do everything. That just reiterates what I am preaching and what I am teaching, so it is good for them to see a result out of that."
Lane Diuguid made his first collegiate start on the mound for the Hilltoppers, recording seven strikeouts without allowing a hit in five innings of work. Freshman pitchers Evan Jones and Jack Bennett made their collegiate debuts in relief action for the Hilltoppers, with Jones picking up his first win after striking out three batters and allowing just one hit in 3.1 frames. Bennett closed things out in the nineth also allowing just one hit in the final frame.
At the plate, WKU racked up eight hits and four walks, with two players producing multi-hit efforts. Ty Batusich led the way going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run of his own, while Kirk Libert and Brayden Johnson each added two RBI a piece in the matchup.
SCORING SUMMARY
Dayton once again scored first in the top of the second inning off a wild pitch to put them in front 1-0.
The Hilltoppers tied the contest with a sacrifice fly from Brayden Johnson in the sixth inning to score Lukas Farris to make it 1-1.
The Tops took the lead 3-1 by way of Kirk Liebert plating Ty Crittenberger and Matthew Meyer with a two-RBI single to right field.
A few batters later, Ty Batusich hit a two-RBI double down the left field line to score Liebert and Farris. The sophomore's second double of the day extended the lead to 5-1.
Later in the seventh, Johnson reached on an error by the Flyers to score Batusich with two outs, making the final tally 6-1.
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will conclude their series with Dayton at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, Feb. 19.
How to follow WKU Baseball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Baseball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Baseball on Twitter and @WKUBaseball Instagram.
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