RUSTON, La. – WKU Baseball dropped its opening game of the Conference USA Championships to FIU, 7-5, Wednesday morning at Pat Patterson Park. The third-seeded Hilltoppers will now face the loser of seventh-seeded New Mexico State and two-seeded Dallas Baptist on Wednesday at 9 a.m. CT in an elimination game.
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Junior Austin Haller and senior Jaylin Rae paced the offense with three hits each while Haller scored a couple of runs. Junior Joey Baran had the only other multi-hit outing, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Juniors Eli Burwash, Brady Browning, and Zayd Brannigan tallied an RBI a piece in the loss.
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Senior Jacob Bimbi earned the start and recorded five strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work while allowing two runs on four hits. Sophomore Lucas Litteral suffered the loss by allowing one run on one hit in 1.0 frames. Junior Cole Heath entered in the fifth and tossed a shutout inning, conceding just one hit.
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The Hilltoppers got on the board first with two runs in the third inning with Haller scoring on a wild pitch before Baran cashed in on an executed intentional pickle play.
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FIU tied the game with a two-run home run in the top of the fourth, but WKU went back in front with an RBI groundout from Burwash and an RBI single from Browning.
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The Panthers plated three runs in the seventh to take the lead before scoring twice more in the ninth.
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The Hilltoppers attempted a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth and were able to cash in once with an RBI double from Brannigan, but that would be all they could muster the rest of the contest.
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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 on Instagram.
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