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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team fell to in-state rival Western Kentucky, 11-9, Wednesday night at Nick Denes Field. A two-run single to right field by Matt Rice in the bottom of the seventh completed the Hilltoppers’ come-from-behind victory.
A win for the Colonels would have snapped WKU’s 15-game home winning streak; however, the loss ends EKU’s three-game winning streak over the cross-state Hilltoppers.
Sophomore Paul Duncan (4-5) was saddled with the loss as he surrendered the base hit to Rice in the seventh. Duncan pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits.
Freshman Greg Terry started on the mound for the Colonels and went four innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits. Freshman Matt Harris worked the fifth and surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits. Junior Jim Clancy came on in the sixth and worked two-thirds of an inning while giving up a run and a hit before giving way to Duncan. Senior David Owens pitched the ninth and gave up an unearned run on no hits.
Evan Teague (3-2) earned the win for WKU, pitching the seventh inning for the Hilltoppers and watching as his offense took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning.
Senior outfielders Matt Davis and Aaron Barrows led EKU offensively. Davis went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored while Barrows finished the day 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Rice and Wade Gaynor paced the Hilltoppers at the plate. Rice batted 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. Gaynor, meanwhile, went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. He also swiped three bases.
The Hilltoppers jumped on EKU early as Terrence Dayleg connected on an RBI single in the bottom of the first that plated Gaynor. Gaynor then crushed a two-run double to dead center in the second to push WKU’s lead to 3-0.
The Colonels responded in the third, however. Freshman Michael Garcia drew a walk to begin the inning and advanced to second on a base hit by freshman #A.J. Jamison#. After freshman Richie Rodriguez reached on a fielder’s choice, Davis ripped a base hit to the third baseman that plated Garcia. The next batter, Barrows, then blasted a two-run triple into the gap in left center that tied it. Freshman Dustin Dunlop capped the rally with an RBI groundout to short that scored Barrows and gave EKU the lead, 4-3.
Rodriguez pushed the lead to 5-3 in the fourth on a well-executed hit-and-run single that scored junior Anthony Ottrando and advanced Jamison to third. Jamison then tried to score on a wild pitch but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
After the Hilltoppers got one run back in the fourth, EKU added two more in the fifth to expand its lead. Davis started the rally with a single through the left side and went to third on a double down the right field line by Barrows. Dunlop then recorded his second RBI groundout of the day, scoring Davis on a roller to shortstop. Sophomore Jayson Langfels made it 7-4 with an RBI base hit into left field that plated Barrows.
WKU tied it in the home half of the sixth with three runs. Duncan came on in the inning with two outs and two men on and got Jake Wells to pop out to end the inning and prevent any further damage.
The Colonels retook the lead on an Ottrando sacrifice fly in the seventh. Ottrando’s RBI fly came with the bases loaded and no outs. Garcia went down on strikes and Jamison flew out to center to end the inning and prevent EKU from capitalizing on a promising inning.
A two-run single in the bottom of the seventh by Rice gave WKU the lead, 9-8. Then, with two outs and a man on first, Dayleg grounded into a fielder’s choice that should have ended the inning; however, catcher’s interference was called on junior Joey Stevens and Dayleg was granted first base. The next batter, Kes Carter, singled to left and made the score 10-8.
After WKU added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, Ottrando laced an RBI single in the top of the ninth that scored freshman Jacob Daniel and brought the Colonels to within two. Garcia struck out looking to end the game, however.
The Colonels return to action this weekend when they travel to Jacksonville State to take on the Gamecocks in a three-game conference series. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 2:00 p.m.
