Western Kentucky players and coaches pose with the trophy after beating Jacksonville State 6-5 in 11 innings to win the Conference USA Baseball Championship on Sunday in Lynchburg, Virginia. (WKU ATHLETICS)

Joe Siervo’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted No. 2 seed Western Kentucky to a 6-5 extra-innings win against No. 4 Jacksonville State in the Conference USA Championship final Sunday afternoon at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia.

It is the Hilltoppers’ first conference title game win since 2008 and advances the Tops into the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2009.

“You’re fired up for the guys. I don’t get too fired up, but you’re happy for the kids,” WKU coach Marc Rardin said in a news release. “They work so hard. You know what you put them through. You know what you expect of them.

“We didn’t play our best game today, but again I think this is significant that we’re winning as the home team because of winning throughout the year. So, I thought about that during the game.”

The Hilltoppers win their first CUSA Championship in program history Sunday. WKU improved to 4-2 overall in conference championship games. The Hilltoppers improve to a perfect 4-0 in postseason play and 46-12 overall, one win shy of the 47-win program record set by the 1980 squad.

This is the first 4-0 postseason start for WKU since 2004 when the Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt Tournament for the first time in program history. Sunday’s victory also marks the third walk-off win in four postseason games and the seventh walk-off of the season for the Hilltoppers.

Jax State took a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first inning.

The Hilltoppers responded with a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the bottom of the frame.

A solo home run put the Gamecocks in front 2-1 in the second. Jax State scored a pair in the fourth to extend the lead to 4-1. A single and an error allowed the first run to score before a sacrifice fly brought in the second run.

WKU outfielder Ethan Lizama homered to cut the deficit to two in the fourth.

A solo homer from the Tops’ Ryan Wideman made the score 4-3 in the sixth.

Siervo gave WKU its first lead of the game with a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh.

The Gamecocks tied the game at 5 in the top of the eighth with a sacrifice fly.

Siervo delivered the walk-off single to drive in the game-winning run and secure the CUSA Championship win in the 11th inning.

Lizama earned the Russell D. Anderson Most Valuable Player Award. The Guam native hit .389 and launched three home runs with seven RBIs in tournament play.

Lizama, Wideman, Austin Haller and Carlos Vasquez were named to the CUSA All-Tournament Team.

Gavin Perry got the start on the mound for the Tops. The right-hander gave up three earned runs on four hits, going three innings and striking out two. batters,

Lucas Hartman and Cal Higgins saw action out of the bullpen. The duo was special in relief, surrendering just one run in 7 2/3 combined innings. Hartman hurled 3 2/3 shutout innings, giving up two hits with three strikeouts while Higgins went four frames and surrendered one run with four strikeouts.

The Tops scored six runs on six hits and seven walks with six RBIs.

Siervo led the way with three RBIs in a 2-for-4 outing with a home run, a walk and a run scored.

Lizama had a home run, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored.

Wideman went 1-for-5 with a home run, an RBI and a run scored.

Kyle Hayes had the other RBI with a sacrifice fly.

WKU heads to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2009. The Hilltoppers will find out where they’re going on the College Baseball Selection Show Monday morning at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.