Western Kentucky shut out Sam Houston 6-0 in game one of a Conference USA baseball series on Friday evening at Nick Denes Field.

The Hilltoppers (23-3 overall, 2-2 CUSA) move to 3-1 all-time against the Bearkats (7-19, 1-3 CUSA) and 19-0 at home in the 2025 season.

WKU’s Thomas Marsala launched a towering, two-run homer over the right-field wall that measured 428 feet and 114 miles per hour off the bat to break the game open in the sixth, and Jack Bennett and Lucas Hartman collected 13 strikeouts to help guide WKU to the shutout win.

“I thought it was good. Jack (Bennett) probably wouldn’t necessarily agree now and then with the walks, especially the two-out walks,” WKU coach Marc Rardin said in a news release. “We kept getting out of it, which is awesome. It was a tough day to hit. Lucas (Hartman) comes in and we were expecting him to finish the sixth and then get him through the seventh, but as we had the big inning in the sixth that started to change everything. That’s what me and Nap do. Then we start discussing and strategizing. What are we going to do win this game and then how is that going to help us to help us win another game and win the series.”

WKU was the first to score with an RBI groundout from Marsala in the fourth. Ryan Wideman stole second and third to put himself in scoring position to give the Tops a 1-0 lead.

An RBI triple from Joe Siervo tacked on another for the Hilltoppers in the fifth inning.

Four runs scored for the Tops in the sixth. Wideman’s CUSA-leading fifth triple of the season drove in one before Marsala followed that up with a two-run homer. Austin Haller brought in the sixth run of the game with an RBI groundout.

Bennett worked in 5 2/3 innings as he struck out six while allowing just three hits and three walks. He improved to 5-0 on the year in six starts.

Hartman had a career outing out of the bullpen as he tallied a career-high seven strikeouts. The right-hander surrendered just one hit and no walks in 3 1/3 innings of work on his way to his first save of the season.

WKU scored six runs on seven hits and two walks with six RBIs.

Siervo had the only multi-hit performance in a 2-for-3 day with a triple, an RBI and a stolen base. Marsala led the team with three RBIs in a 1-for-3 outing with a home run and a run scored. Wideman scored twice with a triple, an RBI and two stolen bases while Haller had an RBI, a run scored, a walk and a stolen base.

Nineteen of the Tops’ 23 wins have come at Nick Denes Field. This is the first time WKU has started 19-0 at home in program history.

WKU and Sam Houston will continue the series Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.