Hayden Robbins finished with a four hit day, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a run. Austin Haller and Manny Alberto also recorded multiple hits Saturday. Haller finished with three and Alberto finished with two. Gavin Perry picked up his fourth win of 2026, tossing seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Hilltoppers loaded the bases with one out in the second and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Manny Alberto scored Hayden Robbins from third to give WKU a 1-0 lead.
- Another walk loaded the bases again with two outs and JP Acosta singled through the middle to score Ian Nguyen and Cael Frost for a three-run Hilltopper lead.
- Again with two outs and the bases loaded, this time in the third inning, Alberto singled to plate Camden Ross and Frost.
- Austin Haller followed and laced a triple into the right field corner to score Nguyen and Alberto and put the Hilltoppers ahead 7-0.
- The Aggies scratched a run in the sixth on a leadoff double followed by an RBI ground out.
- With two out in the Hilltopper sixth and runners on second and third, Hayden Robbins laced the second WKU triple of the game to score Parker Coley and Acosta to give WKU a 9-1 lead.
- A two out single in the Aggie seventh scored a run to make it a 9-2 game.
- New Mexico State plated two runs in the ninth for a 9-4 final score.
NOTABLES
- The Hilltoppers improve to 19-16 on the year and 6-8 in CUSA play.
- Gavin Perry started for WKU on the mound Saturday afternoon.
- Perry finished with two runs (earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings of work, en route to the win.
- Perry is now 4-1 on the year.
- Out of the bullpen WKU used Zach Lyles and Gage Olsen.
- WKU pitching only allowed one walk on Saturday, marking the sixth time this season the Hilltopper staff has allowed one or fewer walks in a game.
- Hayden Robbins paced the offense on Saturday with a four-hit day, finishing 4-for-5 with two RBIs and one run. One of his four hits was a triple.
- Robbins has now managed a four-hit game twice this season, both coming in CUSA play. Robbins also had two RBIs in that game.
- Austin Haller went 3-for-4 with two RBIs with a single, a double, and a triple.
- Saturday marked Haller's 12th multi-hit game of 2026. His three hits also match his season best.
- Haller's two-RBI game marked the third straight game the second baseman has knocked in multiple runs.
- Manny Alberto went 2-for-3 with a team best three RBIs and one run.
- Alberto's three RBIs Saturday marked his best in a Hilltopper uniform.
- Saturday was the fourth time in 2026 that Alberto has had a multi-hit game.
- JP Acosta was the fourth Hilltopper to knock in multiple runs on Saturday. He finished 1-for-3 with those two RBIs, a run, and two walks.
- WKU's 13 hits on Saturday marked the 14th time this season the team has scratched double digits in the category.
QUOTABLE
On the win, head coach Marc Rardin said "We won the series, put up nine runs on 13 hits with no errors again. We got some good pitching and managed several two-out hits. While we didn't play our best game, we are hitting better and hitting our stride a little bit. Hopefully gain some more momentum tomorrow and pick up the sweep."
NEXT UP
WKU will wrap up the three game series with the Aggies on Sunday, April 12. First pitch from Nick Denes Field is slated for 11 a.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.
