Western Kentucky beat Tennessee Tech 15-4 for its first midweek baseball win of the season on Monday at Bush Stadium in Cookeville, Tennessee.

The win moves the Hilltoppers to 11-1, marking just the second time in program history WKU has won 11 of its first 12 games – 1928 and 2025. The 1928 Hilltopper baseball team finished the season with a 15-1 record.

WKU’s Reid Howard launched his first career grand slam and Henry Brown went yard for the second consecutive game as the Hilltopper offense exploded for a season-high 15 runs.

WKU put up five runs in the first inning that started with an RBI triple from Kyle Hvidsten that scored Ryan Wideman. Thomas Marsala drove in another run in the very next at-bat with an RBI single before Brown brought them both in with a two-run homer. Joe Siervo capped the inning with an RBI single to give the Tops a 5-0 lead.

Tennessee Tech got on the board in the bottom of the frame with a two-run long ball.

A sacrifice fly from Hvidsten and an RBI groundout from Marsala tacked on two more for WKU in the fourth to extend the lead to 7-2.

The Tops added a pair in the fifth to go up 9-2 with a two-RBI single from Ethan Lizama.

An RBI single in the bottom of the frame cut the Golden Eagles’ deficit to six. Then a solo blast from Tennessee Tech trimmed the Tops’ lead to 9-4 in the sixth.

WKU put the game out of reach in the eighth inning as Howard powered a grand slam over the left-field wall and Carlos Vasquez brought in two more with a double off the wall.

Cole Heath made his second start of the season on the mound for the Hilltoppers. The right-hander struck out one in three innings while surrendering two runs on three hits and no walks.

Elliott Rossell, Lucas Litteral and Cal Higgins saw action out of the bullpen. Rossell picked up his first win of the season as he pitched one shutout inning. The right-hander allowed two hits and one walk. Higgins closed the game with 2 1/3 frames of perfect baseball. The southpaw struck out two without allowing a runner on base.

The Tops scored a season-high 15 runs on 14 hits and six walks with 15 RBIs. Every Hilltopper to record an at-bat tallied a hit, with four WKU hitters going for multi-hit performances.

Vasquez, Lizama, Wideman and Austin Haller had two hits apiece with Vasquez having a double, two RBIs and a run while and Lizama had two RBI and a run. Wideman got on base in four of five plate appearances with two hits, two walks, a run scored and a stolen base. Haller had his first multi-hit outing in a 2-for-3 day with a double and two runs scored.

Howard led the squad with four RBIs as he went 1-for-3 with a grand slam and three runs scored.

Hvidsten had a couple of RBIs with a triple and two runs, while Marsala had a pair of RBIs and a run.

Brown homered for the second straight game and had two RBIs and two runs.

WKU is back at home this weekend for a four-game series against UNC Asheville. First pitch from Nick Denes Field on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m.