The Hilltopper offense managed nine hits from six different players on Friday night, along with two home runs and two extra-base hits. WKU pitching allowed just three runs on four hits with 14 strikeouts. Mick Uebelhor shined in relief, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing no hits while striking out seven Aggies.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first Hilltopper hit of the night was a Kyle Hayes solo home run to left field with no one out in the second.
- The Aggies tied the game at one apiece in the third with an RBI groundout.
- With one out in the Hilltopper third, Parker Coley lined his first home run of the year over the wall in left center field.
- The Hilltoppers added a run in the fourth as JP Acosta scored from second on a throwing error on a failed pick-off attempt by the pitcher.
- A pair of walks loaded the bases for Reid Howard. Howard lined a ball past the shortstop to score Cael Frost and Hayden Robbins for a two RBI single and a 5-1 Hilltopper lead.
- The Aggies plated two runs on three hits in the top of the fifth to make it a 5-3 ballgame.
- Daniel Stewart kicked off the WKU eighth with a double down the left field line. Hayden Nazarenus pinch ran for Stewart and a sacrifice bunt, followed by a walk, and a stolen base put runners on second and third.
- Austin Haller struck a ball for an infield single to score Coley and Nazarenus and give WKU a three-run lead.
NOTABLES
- The Hilltoppers improve to 18-16 on the year and 5-8 in CUSA play.
- The series between the Hilltoppers and Aggies is now 13-13 with WKU winning the last seven in the matchup.
- Aaron Robertson started on the mound for WKU on Friday night. He tossed 4.1 innings, finishing with three runs (earned) on four hits and seven strikeouts.
- His seven strikeouts match a season high and are the most for Robertson since Feb. 20 against SEMO.
- Mick Uebelhor was the lone Hilltopper to work out of the bullpen Friday night.
- The righty earned his second win, finishing with no runs on no hits and seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work.
- His 4.2 innings along with his seven strikeouts mark his best in a Hilltopper uniform.
- WKU pitching's 14 strikeouts match a season best and are the most in a CUSA game since they had 14 in a 4-2 win over Liberty on April 12, 2025.
- Reid Howard led the offense Friday, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
- Austin Haller also had two RBIs on Friday. He finished 1-for-4.
- Kyle Hayes had a 2-for-4 night with a home run and a double along a run and an RBI.
- For Hayes it's his eighth of the season and his fourth at home.
- JP Acosta also had a two-hit night in three at bats.
- Parker Coley went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a team high two runs.
- Coley knocked his first home run as a Hilltopper with a solo shot to left center field in the third inning.
- The two home runs Friday marked the sixth multi-home run game of the year for WKU and the fourth at home.
QUOTABLE
On the win head coach Marc Rardin said "We got some timely hitting, we took our base on some pitches, and worked counts. Mick Uebelhor retired 12 of his last 13 batters faced. There were some good things that we were doing early on that we had not been doing previously. It was good to see this performance on a Friday night and give us some energy going into tomorrow's game."
NEXT UP
WKU will continue the three game set with the Aggies on Saturday, April 11. First pitch from Nick Denes Field is slated for 3 p.m. CT and will be streaming on ESPN+ with audio 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 X and @WKUBaseball on Instagram.
