BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky scored eight unanswered runs and held the Jaguars scoreless for the final six innings of the game to knock off University of South Alabama baseball 12-4 Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.
Right-hander Shane Cameron (4-1) took the win in six innings, and allowed four runs on four hits while striking out seven and issuing two walks. Cameron combined with Phil Wetherell and Rye Davis to allow just two Jaguar hits in the final six innings.
WKU second baseman Mat Payton went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double, three RBI and three runs scored to lead the Hilltoppers at the plate. Nine of Western Kentucky's 14 hits went for extra bases, and Casey Dykes, Jared Andreoli, Matt Rice and Logan Robbins collected two hits each.
Jaguar right-hander Garrett Harris (4-3) took the loss in 5.1 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits while striking out five and issuing two walks.
USA juniors Brent Tanner and Tyler Vick each went 1-for-4 with a double and one RBI.
USA scored three runs in the top of the second inning on one hit to take a 3-0 lead. After Sean Laird and Brad Hook drew consecutive walks, Vick delivered an RBI double off the right-center field wall to score Laird from second base. Hook scored on a wild pitch, before Vick scored on Brandon Brown's groundout to third.
Western Kentucky (26-7, 9-2 SBC) scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 4-3 lead. Kes Carter tripled, and scored on Monte Ketchum's double down the right field line. Robbins followed with a two-run single to left field to score Ketchum and Jake Wells, who reached base on a hit by pitch. Payton then tripled to center field to score Robbins.
The Jags answered to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the third inning when Tanner delivered an RBI double to left-center field to score Zach Grichor, who singled earlier in the inning.
Andreoli gave Western Kentucky a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Payton, who singled to lead off the inning.
The Hilltoppers took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on Andreoli's RBI double that scored Payton, who singled to lead off the inning.
Western Kentucky increased its lead to 10-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning with five runs on three hits. Payton doubled down the left field line to score Robbins and Wells who reached on walks earlier in the inning. Dykes then tripled to right-center field to score Payton and give the Hilltoppers an 8-4 lead. Rice followed with an RBI triple to right-center field to score Dykes. Rice scored WKU's final run of the inning on a passed ball.
The Hilltoppers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend their lead to 12-4 on an RBI single by Robbins and RBI double by Dykes.
"We picked a bad time to go into an offensive funk," USA head coach Steve Kittrell said. "It's a big series, and we just haven't swung the bats like we can. You have to give credit to Western Kentucky's pitching. But our guys are capable of swinging it better, and hopefully we can come back and salvage a game tomorrow."
USA (22-13, 10-4 SBC) concludes its series with Western Kentucky Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
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).
- USA -
NOTES: Heisler extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the eighth inning ... Laird went hitless in the game, snapping a 10-game hit streak, and a 12-game hit streak in SBC games ... Right-hander Kyle Dees pitched a scoreless inning for the second consecutive game ... USA fell to 76-48 all-time against Western Kentucky ... With the loss, the Jags dropped their first SBC series of the season.
