It was a hitter’s kind of day Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.

Unfortunately for Western Kentucky, its nine-run day was bested by a stronger effort from the Louisiana Tech lineup.

The Bulldogs posted 17 hits on their way to a 12-9 win in the second game of a three-game Conference USA set.

WKU (18-12 overall, 6-5 Conference USA) lost at home in league play for the first time this season. The Hilltoppers are 4-1 this season at their home ballpark, with three wins last month against Middle Tennessee, a 6-3 victory Friday against La. Tech in the series opener and their loss Saturday.

“We’ve been throwing the ball well but look at both sides of the field today and there were a lot of runs, a lot of balls hit hard,” WKU coach John Pawlowski said. “It was a great day to be a hitter today. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end.”

The Bulldogs and Toppers combined for 30 hits Saturday, taking advantage of lackluster pitching and winds that were blowing out toward left field.

The teams used a total of 11 pitchers and only two – Louisiana Tech’s Adam Atkins and WKU’s John Harman – didn’t allow at least one run to score.

The numbers of hits and pitchers used “will give you a little indication of what type of game it was,” Pawlowski said.

“Obviously today was a very offensive game,” WKU’s first-year coach said.

Junior reliever Kevin Elder took the loss for the Hilltoppers, pitching 2 1/3 innings and giving up three runs and five hits. Bulldogs reliever Nate Harris pitched 2 2/3 of one-run ball to earn the win, while Atkins posted scoreless eighth and ninth innings to collect the save.

Neither starting pitcher lasted past the fourth inning. La. Tech’s Cameron Linck gave up four runs in two frames, while WKU senior Josh Bartley – a South Warren High School product – went 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs.

The Hilltoppers fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first inning, then scored the game’s next five runs to take a 5-4 edge by the bottom of the third.

The teams batted the lead back and forth over the next few innings. Trailing 9-8 after five innings, the Bulldogs went ahead for good with two runs in the top of the sixth.

Shortstop Chandler Hall had the go-ahead hit, a two-RBI single to score Chase Lunceford and Jordan Washam and put Louisiana Tech in front, 10-9.

Harris and Atkins shut out WKU over the final two innings, and the Bulldogs added two more runs in the top of the ninth and the Tops fell 12-9.

Jordan Washam and Jonathan Washam had three RBIs each for La. Tech on Saturday, with Jonathan Washam’s coming on a three-run home run. Hall and J.D. Perry drove in a pair of runs each.

Danny Hudzina and Harrison Scanlon netted two RBIs each for WKU, with the third baseman Hudzina posting a team-best three hits.

“We were down 4-0 in the first inning,” Pawlowski said. “But they kept battling and put ourselves in a position obviously to win the game.

“I liked the way we competed. We just didn’t execute at a very high level today.”

With the loss Saturday, the Tops’ 6-5 league record has them sitting in a fourth-place tie with Marshall in the C-USA standings. Southern Miss (24-8, 10-1) leads C-USA while Louisiana Tech (17-10, 5-6) is sixth in the standings, one game behind WKU.

The Hilltoppers and Bulldogs will play the rubber match of their series at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Junior left-hander Ryan Thurston (3-0, 3.63 ERA) will start for WKU. Left-hander Tyler Clancy (3-2, 4.28 ERA) will counter for La. Tech.

“We need to come out and we need to execute at a high level,” Pawlowski said. “It starts with the guy on the mound.

“Ryan Thurston will go out on the mound and fill that strike zone up. He’s got to lead us tomorrow. … I told him that and I look forward to watching him go to work tomorrow.”

Louisiana Tech (17-10, 5-6) – 4 0 0 1 3 2 0 0 2 – 12 17 2

Western Kentucky (18-12, 6-5) – 3 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 – 9 13 2

WP: N. Harris (2-2) LP: K. Elder (2-3) S: Atkins (5)

– Follow Daily News sports reporter Brad Stephens on Twitter @Stephens_Brad or visit bgdailynews.com.