Western Kentucky’s baseball team beat Kennesaw State 4-1 to even the series at on Saturday at S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field in Marietta, Georgia.

In what was a pitcher’s duel, the Hilltoppers’ (21-2 overall, 1-1 Conference USA) top of the lineup came through while the pitching staff held Kennesaw State (9-14, 1-1 CUSA) scoreless through eight innings to tie the three-game series and set up a winner-take-all rubber game Sunday.

“Such a great pitched game by Drew (Whalen). Even (Treyson) Peters pitched some big innings and then (Evan) Jones at the end,” WKU coach Marc Rardin said in a news release. “We needed that, obviously, after last night losing the opening game of the series. We just need to keep getting better offensively. We’ve left some runs on the board, probably should’ve been at least 6-1, but that’s the way it was. If we were going to get back in this series like we did, it had to be on the pitching side and that’s what we got today.”

A Ryan Wideman solo homer put the Tops in front in the first inning.

Ethan Lizama homered over the right-center field wall in the sixth to extend the WKU lead to 2-0.

With the Kennesaw infield in, Carlos Vasquez punched one through the left side to give the Hilltoppers a 3-0 advantage in the eighth.

WKU’s Dylan O’Connell scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth to add some insurance.

Kennesaw State got on the scoreboard in the ninth with an RBI single. However, it would not be enough as WKU held on for the 4-1 win.

Whalen got the starting nod on the mound today and earned his fifth win of the season in six starts to move to 5-0. The right-hander tossed 5 2/3 shutout frames and allowed three hits and four walks while striking out six.

Peters and Jones saw action out of the bullpen for WKU. Peters fanned two Owls in two scoreless innings. Jones earned the save – his fourth of the season – in the last 1 1/3 innings while surrendering one run on one hit and one walk.

The WKU offense scored four runs on six hits and five walks with three RBIs.

Vasquez was the only Hilltopper with a multi-hit outing in a 2-for-4 effort with an RBI.

Wideman and Lizama both hit solo homers. It was Wideman’s sixth homer of the year, while Lizama hit his fifth of the season and 14th of his career.

WKU and Kennesaw State will conclude the series Sunday at S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field. First pitch is set for noon CT.