Jim Mashek

HILLTOPPERS LOOK TO GET THEIR MOJO BACK IN CONFERENCE USA PLAY AGAINST MTSU

LOUISVILLE — Mid-week college baseball games can get a little tricky by the time Tax Day rolls around.

Western Kentucky, ranked No. 20 nationally by Baseball America, had won seven of its last eight games heading into a high-profile matchup with the University of Louisville on Tuesday night. The 17th-ranked Cardinals used six pitchers to tame the Hilltoppers, 5-2, before a crowd of 1,032 at U of L’s Jim Patterson Stadium, limiting WKU to just four hits.

Western Kentucky dropped to 31-6 overall, but the Hilltoppers will be looking to stay atop the Conference USA standings with a three-game Easter Weekend series at WKU’s Nick Denes Field. The Tops (9-3 in C-USA) will play host to traditional rival Middle Tennessee State, with Game 1 unfolding Thursday at 6 p.m.

The Blue Raiders are 17-20 overall and 3-9 in Conference USA.

Louisville coach Dan McDonnell turned to his bullpen to turn back the Hilltoppers, who loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh inning before coming up empty-handed. The Cardinals extended their lead in the bottom half, adding two runs to take a 5-2 lead into the final two frames.

In the top of the ninth, U of L closer Tucker Biven retired the Hilltoppers, in order, to record his third save of the season. Jake Schweitzer was the winning pitcher, working two scoreless innings, while Western’s Taylor Penn took the loss, dropping to 2-1 on the season.

WKU coach Marc Rardin gave two of his leading hitters, senior outfielder Ethan Lizama and junior DH Thomas Marsala, the night off, although they both appeared as pinch hitters in the ninth against the Cardinals’ Biven. Lizama hit a hot shot up the middle, but it was gobbled up by U of L shortstop Tanner Shiver, and the Cardinals were on their way to victory.

WKU opened the scoring in the first inning, with junior outfielder Joe Siervo sending a pitch from the Cardinals’ T.J. Schlageter over the fence in right-center field for a solo home run with one out. It was a 1-0 lead with a brief shelf life.

Louisville answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. Senior DH Eddie King Jr. ripped a sinking line drive into left-center field with two outs, scoring two runs and putting the Cardinals in front, 2-1.

Gavin Perry, WKU’s starting pitcher, settled down from there. He’d work three scoreless innings and hand the ball to teammate Taylor Penn with the game tied at 2 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Hilltoppers had tied it in the top of the fourth. Siervo was again the catalyst, leading off the inning with a line drive off U of L’s Jack Brown that bounced into the left-field corner for a standup double. Ryan Wideman’s ground ball sent Siervo to third base, and WKU first baseman Kyle Hayes slapped an RBI single through the right side, pulling the Tops to a 2-2 tie.

WKU would then load the bases against Jack Brown, but the Cardinals’ freshman right-hander would slip a called third strike past the Tops’ Henry Brown to end the threat.

The Hilltoppers failed to capitalize on a Louisville error in the top of the sixth. They had two runners on with just one out, but U of L’s Jake Schweitzer retired WKU’s backup catcher, Kyle Hvidsten, on a fly ball before Henry Brown grounded out to end the threat.

Louisville’s Kamau Neighbors lashed a pitch from the Hilltoppers’ Taylor Penn into center field for an RBI single with two outs in the sixth, taking second base when WKU center fielder Ryan Wideman booted the ball for the Tops’ second error of the inning. WKU avoided further damage, however, when WKU’s Drew Barragan made a deft play at second base to retire the side.

The Cardinals used the seventh inning to take control.

WKU, trailing 3-2 with no outs, failed to score against Cardinals right-hander Eli Hoyt. Wideman struck out before Kyle Hayes hit a tapper to the mound, and Hoyt stumbled a bit before starting a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.

Zion Rose, the U of L sophomore left fielder from Chicago, delivered a two-run home run off WKU’s Taylor Penn in the bottom of the seventh, extending the Cardinals’ lead to 5-2. It was Rose’s sixth home run of the season.

The Cardinals bullpen retired the final six WKU batters it faced, with left-hander Justin West recording back-to-back called third strikes to end the top of the eighth.

WKU will get a shot at the Commonwealth’s other high-profile program, the University of Kentucky, when the Wildcats travel to Bowling Green for a non-conference game on April 29 at Nick Denes Field. Kentucky reached the College World Series for the first time in school history last year.

Louisville resumes its Conference USA schedule this weekend against third-ranked Clemson. Junior right-hander Patrick Forbes, a top-flight MLB prospect from Bowling Green High School, is expected to get the start in Game One on Thursday night at Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium.