BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (4-20-2008) ? Western Kentucky pounded out 21 hits Sunday afternoon, giving the Hilltoppers a 13-5 victory over the Arkansas State Indians in game three of a Sun Belt Conference series at Nick Denes Field. With the win, the Hilltoppers improved to 23-16 overall and 10-8 in league play, earning a 3-0 series win over the Indians. The Tribe dropped to 16-24 on the season and 5-13 in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Indians led 1-0 after their first at-bat, and the game was tied at 3-3 after five and one-half innings, but Western Kentucky broke the game open with five runs in the sixth and five in the seventh.
Center fielder Derrick Coleman led off the game with a double off of the left-center field wall to set up the Indians' first score. Coleman moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from junior third baseman Guy Brown and crossed the plate for the 1-0 ASU lead when junior catcher Lawson Hipps reached on a fielder's choice.
Western Kentucky answered with three runs in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Left fielder Jeremy Coleman led off the inning for the Hilltoppers with a single and eventually scored when center fielder Scott Kaskie grounded into a double play. Right fielder Matt Hightower gave the ?Toppers a 3-1 lead later in the inning when he scored and drove in a run with an in-the-park home run.
The Indians pulled within a run at 3-2 in the fifth when junior second baseman Brandon Eller hit a two-out RBI single into right field to score senior shortstop Ryan Hudgins. Hudgins got aboard with a one-out single and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, setting up Eller's 18th two-out RBI of the season.
Another leadoff double helped the Tribe knot the score at 3-3 in the sixth. Freshman designated hitter Murray Watts bounced a double off of the center field wall to get the inning started, and a pair of sacrifices put Watts across the plate. Senior A.J. Prickel's sacrifice bunt moved Watts to third, and a sacrifice fly from freshman pinch-hitter Cade Baxter sent Watts home to tie the score.
Western Kentucky wasted no time in regaining the lead as the Hilltoppers scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to go back on top 8-3. First baseman Jake Wells sent home the first run with an RBI single, and the Hilltoppers also got run-scoring hits from Hightower, designated hitter Chad Cregar and center fielder Scott Kaskie.
Hudgins homered in the seventh, a one-out solo shot over the left field wall, and a two-out RBI single from Hipps later in the frame cut the Western Kentucky lead to 8-5.
The Hilltoppers answered the Indian effort with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to stretch the Western Kentucky lead to 13-5. Kaskie and second baseman Matt Payton each came through with RBI singles, and a run-scoring double from Hightower sent the first three Hilltopper runs home. The final two runs came courtesy of a two-run home run from shortstop Terrence Dayleg.
Coleman led Arkansas State at the plate Sunday afternoon, going 3-for-5 on the day with two doubles. Hightower went 4-for-5 with four RBI's to lead the Hilltoppers.
Junior Jett Jones (1-7) took the loss on the mound for the Indians, giving up six runs on 12 hits in five and one-third innings of work. Jones struck out four Hilltoppers and walked one. Colby Beach (2-1) picked up the win for WKU, going six innings on the afternoon. Beach gave up three runs on five hits, with three walks and five strikeouts.
The Western Kentucky series wraps up a string of 18 games that included 15 on the road for ASU. The Tribe returns to Jonesboro for eight straight home games, beginning with an April 22 matchup against Southeast Missouri State.
