Western Kentucky Downs Troy 9-4 to Even Series

Saturday, April 21

Bowling Green, Ky.

4:00 p.m.

Troy University

Western Kentucky

Boone Shear

Photo by: Lisa Ray

Western Kentucky Downs Troy 9-4 to Even Series

4/21/2012 7:04:00 PM | Baseball

By: Adam Prendergast

BOX SCORE

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Western Kentucky hit three home runs and got a solid start from Tim Bado on the mound to defeat Troy 9-4 Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field to even the Sun Belt Conference series at a game each. The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.

Boone Shear gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the top of the second with his eighth home run of the season, but Bado held Troy scoreless over the next four innings including working out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the fourth. Bado (4-4) struck out six, walked one and allowed four runs on 10 hits to pick up the victory.

Shear was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored to lead the Trojans, while Jo-El Bennett added a pair of hits and an RBI. The Trojans finished the game with 10 hits, just three behind the Hilltoppers' 13 base knocks.

Ryan Hutchison led off the home half of the second with a single and Adam Lavelle followed with a double down the line in right field. Devin Kelly put WKU (16-23, 7-10 Sun Belt) in front for good with his second homer of the season. Following a pair of outs, David Simmons capped the four-run fourth with his first homer of the season.

Scott Wilcox led of the home half of the third with a home run and the Hilltoppers added two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to stretch their lead out to 9-2; Kelly, who finished 3-for-4, drove home both runs in the sixth with a double off the wall in center field.

Hutchison, who had three hits in the opener, added three hits in five at-bats in Saturday's contest. Lavelle and Wilcox each had two hits.

The Trojans (17-21, 6-11) rallied with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth. Troy's three freshmen –Bennett, Clay Holcomb and Jake Harrell – led off the seventh with consecutive singles and Jakob Nixon hit a sharp line drive right at WKU center fielder Jared Andreoli for a sac fly.

Shear, Tyler Vaughn and Bennett hit consecutive doubles off Bado in the eighth to pull within five, 9-4. Tate Glasscock came out of the bullpen and gave up a pair of rockets off the bats of Harrell and Nixon, but both were straight to Andreoli in center.

Reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week Joe Hernandez (3-2) struggled in his third Sun Belt start. He left the game after allowing five runs on six hits in just two innings of work. Cass Abercrombie, Garrett McHenry, A.J. Howard and Jeremy McGowan worked the final six innings on the mound for the Trojans.