BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Junior Eli Burwash was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate as WKU Baseball defeated Bellarmine 14-2 on Tuesday at Nick Denes Field. The Hilltoppers improve to 32-16 while the Knights fall to 7-41.
The Hilltoppers 14 runs is tied for the most they've scored in a game this season.
"I was really pleased," said head coach Marc Rardin. "We were struggling at Middle Tennessee and figuring out ways to win two out of three and we struggled this last weekend. We were 0-20 or something with guys in scoring position. It's really hard to beat anybody if we're going to be doing that … Today we were really letting the ball get to us more. You saw a lot more back-side base hits, line drives, things of that nature. What that's telling me is that timing is everything."
Burwash's led the way for the Tops at the plate with, a career-high, four hits while also driving in a run and scoring three of his own. Junior Brady Browning launched a three-run, home run in a 2-for-4 day with three RBI and two runs scored while juniors Ethan Lizama, Joey Baran, and Caleb Marmo had two RBI a piece. Junior Blake Cavill reached base four times with three walks and one hit while driving in one run and scoring three times. Juniors Austin Haller and Zayd Brannigan also had an RBI each in the contest.
Each inning saw a different arm on the mound for WKU as the seven pitchers combined to allow just two runs on five hits and two walks. Senior Lane Diuguid, sophomore Elliott Rossell, graduate student Tyler Rardin, junior Patrick Morris, and junior Luke Leverton tossed scoreless frames with Leverton earning his second winning-decision of the season.
In the first, Cavill plated a run with a single before Lizama drove in another with a double.
Bellarmine got on the board in the top of the third with a solo home run, but the Tops rattled off four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single from Baran and Browning's three-run homer.
Four more runs scored for WKU in the fourth as Haller singled to score one before a double from Burwash and an error scored another. Lizama tacked on another with a single before Baran capped the inning with a sacrifice fly.
Burwash's second double of the day extended the lead in the fifth while Brannigan grounded out to score another in the sixth. Marmo put the 13th and 14th runs on the board to finish the scoring in the sixth with a single up the middle.
The Knights put their second run on the board in the seventh, but it was not enough as the Tops defense gathered the three outs necessary to claim the 10-run rule win.
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will play their final road CUSA series of the season as they travel to LA Tech for a three-game set in Ruston, La. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 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 on Instagram.
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