Cavill's Three Doubles Lift Tops Over Bisons on Tuesday

Tuesday, February 20

Nashville, Tenn.

3:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

3-1

Lipscomb

1-3

WESTERN KENTUCKY

LIPSCOMB

Photo by: Jack Todd, WKU Athletics

2/20/2024 8:23:00 PM | Baseball

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball defeated Lipscomb 8-5 on Tuesday in a back-and-forth battle that saw the Hilltoppers prevail with Blake Cavill's third double of the night to score the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning.

Through 3.2 innings the Hilltoppers were cruising. They held a 3-0 lead and had not surrendered a hit to Lipscomb. Late in the fourth inning, the Bisons got on the board and started to chip away over the next four frames. The Tops held a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, but the pitching staff gave up three runs on four hits and two walks to tie the game. Even at 5-5 in the top of the ninth, the Bisons second baseman made an acrobatic, diving catch on a line drive and then was able to complete a double play, turning all the momentum to the home team. With two outs, leadoff man Dylan O'Connell got on base after getting hit by a pitch. O'Connell then stole second, setting him up in scoring position. The next man up, Australia native Blake Cavill stepped up to the plate and delivered his third double of the night, scoring the go-ahead run and eventually winning the game after the Tops defense earned the three outs in the bottom of the ninth.

"In some cases, you don't know how you win," said head coach Marc Rardin. "You walk them nine times. You have two hit-by-pitches. There's 11 freebies and we win the game. That's how good our arms and our stuff can be. It was one of those things where we were just good enough at times. We have to win these games too. We pitched 12 different arms. Just kind of rolled through them a little bit. You take the win and I'm not taking anything away. You have to give guys opportunities. I actually talked more about that at our meeting at the end then I did about winning the game. How important it is for the 'we' and not the 'me'. How important it is for some kids to be patient. In today's world, where you kind of have to make sure you manage the person because you want that person to be a player on the team. I threw a lot of different guys, hit some guys, and stuff like that, but still, not everybody got to play. We have to manage that stuff."

12 pitchers split time on the mound with freshman Drew Whalen making his first start of his collegiate career. Half of the arms made their first appearance as Hilltoppers with one making their collegiate debut. Whalen, along with senior Cory Bosecker, junior Hunter Small, junior Zach Dueñas, junior Luke Leverton, and senior Lane Diuguid all saw action through the first four innings. They combined to allow zero runs on zero hits and zero walks in 3.2 innings of work. The back-half of the pitching staff was unable to keep the momentum going. Graduate student Tyler Rardin, freshman Jace Kirby, sophomore Lucas Litteral, sophomore Jack Bennett, graduate student Coby Moe, and senior Mason Burns finished out the game. They conceded five runs on eight hits, nine walks and two hit-by-pitches in 5.1 frames.

Offensively, Cavill notched the only three-hit effort going 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs, a scored, a walk, and an RBI. Junior Ethan Lizama recorded two hits on four at-bats along with a run scored and an RBI. Sophomore Camden Ross had a team-high three RBI with a 1-for-3 night with a double.

UP NEXT

The Hilltoppers will host its first four-game series of the season against Purdue Fort Wayne beginning on Friday, Feb. 23 at Nick Denes Field at 3 p.m. CT.

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.