BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball (11-6) claimed its third non-conference series of the season against Milwaukee (1-13) with an 11-7 win over the Panthers on Sunday at Nick Denes Field.
WKU racked up 13 hits on the day, getting four from junior Brady Browning and two a piece from juniors Blake Cavill and Joey Baran.
"I would like for it (momentum) to be held up more on our side instead of it going back-and-forth on us a little bit right now," said head coach Marc Rardin. "It's a Sunday. Baseball is a marathon, but Sundays are just the ultra-marathon. It's a long day. I just kept reminding our guys that it's a long day, the wind's blowing out, we're the home team, just a lot of things are at our advantage. Our bullpen is still better than theirs. They were running out. Each day is its own momentum. If we had another game to play today, maybe we had momentum. By the time these guys go to weights this evening and then get up and go to class tomorrow, then we play on Tuesday. Every day just creates its own momentum."
The Tops utilized six arms on the mound with junior relief pitcher Cal Higgins earning the win. The right-hander closed the game with back-to-back strikeouts to clinch the win and the series. Higgins totaled three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work without allowing a runner on base.
The Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a double from Cavill and a single from Browning in the first.
Milwaukee responded with a five-run fourth inning to gain the advantage, but a wild pitch and an RBI groundout from junior Austin Haller got two runs back for WKU in the home half of the fourth.
Junior Patrick Morris entered from the pen in the top of the fifth and was perfect for 2.0 innings, retiring six straight Panthers. That allowed the Tops to tie the game on a sacrifice fly from junior Ethan Lizama in the fifth and retake the lead in the sixth on Cavill's second double of the day.
The seventh inning saw another lead change as a two-run seventh inning gave Milwaukee a 7-6 lead.
Down by one run late, the Hilltoppers notched a five-run eighth inning beginning with an RBI single from sophomore Camden Ross to tie the game. That was followed by back-to-back doubles from Browning and junior Joey Baran, combining for three RBI to retake the lead. A sacrifice fly from junior Cristian Garcia capped the frame with the score at 11-7.
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will head back on the road for a midweek game at Austin Peay on Tuesday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will not have a video stream but can be heard on the radio on The Varsity Network.
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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