Hilltoppers Crush Four Homers; Clinch Series Over Jackrabbits

Saturday, March 11

Bowling Green, KY

2:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

12-4

South Dakota State

3-7

South Dakota State

WKU

Hilltoppers Crush Four Homers; Clinch Series Over Jackrabbits

3/11/2023 5:27:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball defeated South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon knocking four home runs to beat the Jackrabbits, 10-3, at Nick Denes Field.

The Hilltopper offense hit at least 15 hits for the second straight game for the first time since the 2018 season and scores at least 10 runs for the third straight game, while Dawson Hall claimed his first collegiate win as a starter to clinch the series over South Dakota State and improve to 12-4 for the first time since 2010 when the squad started 13-4.

"Everything starts on the mound first. How about Hall having a start and goes five and a third," said head coach Marc Rardin. "He walked just one guy. Two walks today and three walks in the last 18 innings with no errors. That is always going to give you a chance. 31 hits in the last two games, so, we just have to handle success. The approach works, coach Fournier and coach Nanny have been outstanding with the offense and the daily process of what we are trying to do. Not just with our swings, but what we are looking for at the plate. We are really cutting down strikeouts this year and that was a big thing. We are trying to get more walks. They brought in a reliever that was hard to see. He kind of hid the ball and our guys just took a while to get going on him and I think that is just something in the future that we just have to be a little bit quicker on making adjustments on the different looks of a pitcher coming out of the bullpen."

RHP Dawson Hall earned his first collegiate win as a starter for WKU and improves to 3-0 on the season, the most wins thus far on the team. The Bowling Green native recorded two strikeouts in 5.1 frames, while surrendering two runs on three hits with just one walk. Jack Bennett relieved Hall in the top of the fifth who claimed his first collegiate save in his seventh appearance striking out four batters in 3.2 innings of work, while allowing just one run on three hits and one walk.

At the plate, WKU knocked 15 hits, with five Hilltoppers recording multi-hit performances. Drew Reckart was a triple shy of the cycle in a 4-for-5 day with a home run, a double and three RBI, while scoring two runs. Four Hilltoppers produced two-hit efforts in Ty Crittenberger, Kirk Liebert, Lukas Farris, and Ricardo Leonett. Crittenberger and Farris each crushed their second long ball of the weekend, while Liebert hit his first as a WKU Hilltopper. The four home runs are a game-high so far this season and the most in a game by the Hilltoppers since March 11, 2022, when the Hilltoppers hit four home runs against Illinois exactly one year ago today.

SCORING SUMMARY

Tristin Garcia opened the scoring for the Tops in the bottom of the third with a two-out, RBI double. To follow, Kirk Liebert and Lukas Farris knocked back-to-back home runs, combining for three RBI to make the score 4-0 after three.

Two more solo shots from Ty Crittenberger and Drew Reckart added two more in the fourth and put the score at 6-0.

Three more runs crossed in the fifth for the Tops off an RBI walk from Aidan Gilroy, and a two-RBI single from Reckart extended the lead to 9-0.

The Jackrabbits put their first two runs on the board in the sixth with a two-RBI single to make it 9-2.

SDSU tallied another in the seventh off an RBI groundout, putting the score at 9-3.

The tenth and final run of the day came from an RBI double by Gilroy to make the final score, 10-3.

UP NEXT

The Hilltoppers will conclude their series against South Dakota State tomorrow, March 12, starting at 1 p.m. CT at Nick Denes Field.

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.