BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? Chad Cregar led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a double and came around to score on Matt Hightower’s sacrifice fly to break a 4-4 tie, and Western Kentucky held on to defeat the University of South Alabama 7-4 Friday at Nick Denes Field.

USA (7-8, 0-1 SBC) jumped out to an early lead against Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year Matt Ridings. Derek O'Reilly brought in the first run with a RBI single, and Zach Grichor followed with a sacrifice fly before Adam Heisler put the Jags ahead 3-0 with a RBI double in the third inning.

Western Kentucky (10-4, 4-0 SBC) answered with a three-spot of its own in the fourth when Cregar, the SBC Preseason Player of the Year, delivered a two-run homer to left-center, his ninth longball of the year. Terrence Dayleg evened the score at 3-3 with a run-scoring single later in the inning.

Dayleg finished the night 3-for-4 with three RBI, including an two-run home run in the eighth inning that provided the Hilltoppers with a pair of crucial insurance runs.

The Jags responded quickly when O’Reilly singled and came around to score on a fielder’s choice from Grichor, putting USA ahead 4-3 in the fifth, but the Toppers answered in their next at-bat. Cregar walked, stole second base and scored on Rice’s single to even the score at 4-4.

USA starter Matt Jackson shut down the Toppers in the sixth and seventh innings before running into trouble in the eighth when he allowed Cregar’s double and an infield single to Rice to put runners on the corners with no outs.

Brandon Sage came on in relief and surrendered the eventual game-winning run on Hightower’s sacrifice fly. One out later, Dayleg delivered his two-run blast, and the Jags were unable to add on despite a pair of ninth-inning singles.

Ridings allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on nine hits in 7.0 innings of work. He struck out seven and walked one. Jackson allowed five earned runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and a pair of walks.

The Jags return to the field Saturday at 3 p.m. in the middle game of their conference-opening series. Lance Baxter is slated to start on the mound for USA.

Notes:  Clint Reynolds had his career-long, 12-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-4 ... David Doss extended his hitting streak to nine straight with a sixth-inning single, and Grichor extended his career-best hitting streak to seven game with a single in his first trip to the plate ... At 44 degrees, the game was played in the coldest temperature of the 2009 season.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).