Western Kentucky shut out Sam Houston 9-0 for the second consecutive game to claim the series win in game two of the baseball series on Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.

The Hilltoppers (24-3 overall, 3-2 Conference USA) move to 4-1 all-time against the Bearkats (7-19, 1-3 CUSA) and 20-0 at home in the 2025 season.

WKU starting pitcher Drew Whalen had a career day on the mound as fanned career-best 10 Bearkats in a career-high 6 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball while Reid Howard mashed his fifth home run of the year over the left -ield wall to lead the Tops to the win.

This marks the first time the Hilltoppers have tossed consecutive shutouts since 1999 when WKU defeated New Orleans 5-0 on April 10 and 6-0 on April 11 in Bowling Green.

Whalen, Zach Lyles and Patrick Morris combined for the shutout win, marking the fifth shutout of the season for the Hilltoppers.

Whalen allowed just three hits and four walks without surrendering a run. He improves to a Conference USA-best 6-0 and his ERA drops to 1.93.

Lyles and Morris made appearances out of the bullpen for WKU. Lyles tallied two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings and conceded one hit and one walk, while Morris earned a strikeout  in the ninth.

“We’ve been good. I don’t like that we get the bases loaded,” WKU coach Marc Rardin said in a news release. “It was really impressive there with (Drew) Whalen today with him and (Zach) Lyles. Obviously, that was huge in the beginning of this game. (Jack) Bennett had it yesterday in that game and the momentum kind of busts their bubble in that game where they could’ve got an early start.

“We got some momentum early and didn’t allow that to happen. I thought that was huge for momentum.”

Carlos Vasquez scored on a failed pickoff attempt to first base to put WKU on the board in the first inning.

The Hilltoppers cashed in twice in the bottom of the sixth as Kyle Hayes hit an RBI double before Howard singled through the left side to tack on another and make the score 3-0.

WKU blew the game open in the seventh, scoring six runs in the inning. Ryan Wideman and Ethan Lizama got things started with back-to-back RBI singles. Lizama later scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. Following that, Howard launched a three-run shot down the left field line to extend the advantage to 9-0.

WKU totaled 11 hits and three walks with seven RBIs.

Hayes had the only three-hit day in a 3-for-4 effort with two doubles, an RBI and two runs.

Howard recorded his second four-RBI game of the season in a 2-for-4 performance with a three-run homer, a run scored and a stolen base.

Wideman was 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases. Lizama went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Twenty of the Tops’ 24 wins have come at Nick Denes Field. This is the first time WKU has started 20-0 at home in program history.

WKU moves to 4-1 all-time against Sam Houston with the win and have now won both series they have played against the Bearkats.

The Hilltoppers and Sam Houston will conclude the series Sunday at Nick Denes Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.