EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers used the long ball early and the small ball late to race past the host University of Evansville baseball team, 10-1, on Tuesday night at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

 

The Hilltoppers hit a trio of home runs in the first two innings off of UE starter Zach Taylor (0-3), including back-to-back shots by third baseman Wade Gaynor and right fielder Chad Cregar in the first inning, to grab an early 4-1 lead through two complete. The Hilltoppers would add just one more extra-base hit on the night, a ninth-inning triple by lead-off man Scott Kaskie, but WKU used the strength of eight singles and eight UE walks to pick up the 10-1 victory.

 

Evansville’s lone run came in the first inning, as following back-to-back singles by sophomore outfielder Alex Acheson and freshman second baseman Shawn Kuester, sophomore catcher Andy Pascoe plated UE’s only run of the game with a run-scoring double-play ball. Evansville would scratch across just three more hits on the evening against WKU starter Matt Hightower (3-1), who scattered a run on five hits and five walks in a complete-game effort to pick up the win. He was also aided by four double plays turned behind him by the errorless Western Kentucky defense.

 

Gaynor led Western Kentucky offensively by going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI. Cregar also had three hits, a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI, while catcher J.B. Paxson also added a solo home run in a two-hit effort. Acheson, Kuester, Nate Smith, Greg Wallace, and Peter Tountas collected UE’s five hits on the evening, with Tountas adding a double.

 

With the victory, Western Kentucky improves to 11-9 overall. Evansville, meanwhile, slips to 2-18 on the season. The Purple Aces will now hit the road for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Northern Iowa this weekend, beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon. All three games of the series can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.