Hilltoppers Complete Sweep of Owls for the First Time in Program History

Sunday, April 23

Bowling Green, KY

1:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

22-19, 7-11

Florida Atlantic

23-18, 7-11

Florida Atlantic

WKU

Hilltoppers Complete Sweep of Owls for the First Time in Program History

4/23/2023 5:48:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball defeated Florida Atlantic, 4-2, to sweep the season series for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.

With the sweep, the Hilltoppers improve to 22-19 (7-11 in C-USA) while the Owls drop to 23-18 (7-11 in C-USA). WKU moves up two spots to sixth place in the Conference USA standings following the sweep and a Rice loss to Middle Tennessee today.

"It's just quality pitches. Even at the end here when we have the lead we have, CJ [Weins] is just pitching to contact," said head coach Marc Rardin. "I mean we are just trying to get outs. We had a couple of double plays there. We talk about, when you turn them, they are devastating for the other team, and when you do not turn them, they are devastating for you. Luckily for us today, they worked in our favor."

It was a well-rounded, team effort for the Hilltoppers with the offense having an efficient day at the plate, scoring four runs on seven hits while the Tops defense and pitching held a high-powered Florida Atlantic offense scoreless heading into the top of the ninth on just four hits. WKU allowed two runs on two hits to cross in the ninth, but it was not enough as the defense retrieved the final three outs to secure the 4-2 win for the Hilltoppers.

After committing an error on the first Owls batter to step in the box and allowing him to reach second on a base hit, the Hilltopper defense was perfect for the remainder of the game, only allowing runners on base from hits or walks. The best team in the conference at turning two made a couple of double plays that could have resulted in multiple runs scored for the opposition if not completed and helped the squad pick up its first C-USA sweep of the season.

RHP Dawson Hall got the starting nod for the series finale for the second straight weekend and notched his best statistical start on the rubber for WKU. The freshman right-hander did not allow a run in 5.0 innings of work on just two hits and two walks while racking up four strikeouts in his fifth winning decision and third as a starter to improve to 5-3 on the year. LHP Cam Tullar made his second appearance of the weekend and fifteenth overall in relief of Hall. The lefty was stellar in 3.0 frames, fanning five batters without allowing a run on two hits and one walk. Tullar has allowed just one earned run in his last 18.2 innings on the mound as one of the main contributors out of the bullpen for the Hilltopper pitchers. Following Tullar, RHP CJ Weins entered in the bottom of the ninth and tossed the final frame, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks.

Offensively, Andrew Delaney was the only Hilltopper with a multi-hit performance in a 2-for-4 outing with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored while Tristin Garcia and Ty Batusich each posted an RBI with Garcia scoring the first run of the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the first and Batusich hitting a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth.

SCORING SUMMARY

WKU scratched first, scoring in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Tristin Garcia to take a 1-0 lead.

The Hilltoppers added another in the bottom of the fourth when Brett Blomquist reached on an error from the Owls which allowed Kirk Liebert to score from second and extend the Tops lead to 2-0.

A sacrifice fly from Ty Batusich added the third Hilltopper run in the bottom of the fifth before a solo shot from Andrew Delaney put the WKU lead at 4-0.

Florida Atlantic scored twice in the top of the ninth off two hits, but it was not enough resulting in a 4-2 win for the Hilltoppers.

UP NEXT

The Hilltoppers will hit the road for a midweek contest against the Austin Peay Governors beginning at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 25 in Clarksville, Tenn.

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.