BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Sophomore Jack Bennett threw 7.0 scoreless innings for the Western Kentucky baseball team (9-5) on Friday as the Hilltoppers shutout Milwaukee (0-11) 5-0 at Nick Denes Field.
This marks the third shutout of the season for the Hilltoppers, all three being 5-0 wins over Bradley (7 inn.), Purdue Fort Wayne, and now Milwaukee.
"I just thought – and I've told my team – I still think they are way better than 0-11," said head coach Marc Rardin. "If you look at their schedule and who they have played and you looked at all their losses, whether it was 3-0, 4-1, or 4-2. There was only one blowout. Other than that, they have been in every game. Until towards the end there, they were in this game. I think they're fine. Bennett was good. I thought their pitcher was good. He would throw any pitch at any time. We were trying to figure him out. It's just baseball. You have that one big inning and that's it. I told my guys, there's a stat out there that 90% of the time in college baseball, the winning team will score as many runs as the losing team has total in one inning. They had none today, but if they had one, it's about that crooked number. We were able to do that. We overcame some base running. They run a pick play and get us, but Blake [Cavill] extends it with that two-out double, and then [Ethan] Lizama and Camden [Ross] come up and they squared up a couple balls for sure to extend that lead. Really, it all just starts on the mound. You have to throw strikes. We had one walk on the day from Bennett. Other than that, we filled it up. They had to hit to get on base. That always what I ask of the pitchers, just not to walk them."
Bennett finished his day with a career high, eight strikeouts and just four hits allowed in his seven innings on the mound, the longest outing of his career. He also had just one walk on and lowered his season ERA to 2.16.
Three home runs powered the offense courtesy of junior Brady Browning, junior Ethan Lizama, and sophomore Camden Ross.
Neither team could muster a run through the first three innings, but in the fourth, Browning slammed a solo shot over the wall in left-center to put WKU on the board.
In the next inning, junior Blake Cavill doubled with two outs in front of Lizama's second home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field. The very next pitch, Ross launched a ball 400 feet into left-center for the first home run of his collegiate career to extend the lead to 4-0.
Junior Caleb Marmo entered as a pinch runner for Ross after a leadoff walk in the eighth inning. Marmo stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by the Panther's catcher and scored on a wild pitch in a span of four pitches.
Milwaukee looked to get to Bennett in the top of the fifth, but a 4-6-3 double play ended any sort of threat.
Senior Lane Diuguid finished the game with 2.0 scoreless innings on the mound with a trio of strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The two teams will meet again on Saturday at Nick Denes Field for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. CT. Game two will begin 30 minutes following game one.
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.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- Big Red
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
