Western Kentucky’s baseball team started its Conference USA series against Florida Atlantic with a 6-4 win Friday night at Nick Denes Field.

WKU’s Thomas Peter went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run, while gunning down the potential game-tying run at the plate in the eighth inning.

Peter extended his club lead of 14 doubles and 11 homers on the season.

The Hilltoppers jumped on Owls’ starter Alex House in the first with two runs on four hits, including RBIs from Wood and Peter. Kaleb Duckworth added a third run on a solo home run to begin the third inning, his seventh of the season.

Ryan Thurston started off with four scoreless frames before allowing three runs in the next two innings – which included a pair of FAU solo home runs – and the game was tied at 3-3. But the lefty got through 6.1 innings, putting together his third consecutive start of three runs or fewer.

WKU re-took the lead with another three hits and two runs in the sixth. Peter led off with a double and was brought in by Chris Rogers’ second base hit of the night. Kevin Lambert grounded an RBI single up the middle after a Tyler Robertson sacrifice bunt.

The Owls picked up a run in the eighth to bring the game back within one. Then with two outs and runners on first and second, David Miranda lined a single in front of Peter in right field. Jared Shouppe, representing the tying run, rounded third base and headed for home, but was thrown out at to the plate by Peter.

Peter hit a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead back to two. Jackson Sowell then finished his 2.2-inning save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

WKU’s Paul Kirkpatrick will start Saturday’s second game of the series, facing FAU’s Blake Sanderson. First pitch will be at 1 p.m.