The Western Kentucky baseball team had to settle for a series-opening split with BYU after the Cougars powered past WKU 12-8 in the finale of the four-game series on Monday at Nick Denes Field.

BYU hit four home runs to surpass its total offensive output in the previous three games to deny WKU a chance at the series-opening win.

WKU coach Marc Rardin said it was a good learning experience for everyone, including himself.

“You are either winning games or learning from them and it was a great learning moment for us,” Rardin said. “You are trying to put every kid in position to be successful. You are definitely not trying to put them in places where they are failing. Sometimes you assert it wrong and then you put them in there wrong.

“There is nobody on our team that is going to lose more games for Western Kentucky than I am. I let them know that. I’m going to lose more and today I let them down.”

After 18 total runs were scored in the first three games, Monday’s finale was an offensive outburst with BYU (2-2) jumping out to an early lead.

BYU loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, setting the stage for a three-run double from Ryker Schow that chased starter Rodney Whaley. The Cougars added a two-run homer to right by Ezra McNaughton later in the inning to extend the lead to 5-0.

“I was just going to let Whaley through one inning,” Rardin said. “I don’t know, I take him back out in the second inning and I am punching myself internally as I am walking out there (to take him out). It wasn’t his fault. My job is to get guys in and out and give them some success and in turn give us success.

“I just kept guys in a little too long today a couple of times and both of those innings it cost us.”

WKU loaded the bases in the bottom of the second with no outs, but was only able to scratch across one run on a double play.

One inning later, WKU powered its way into a 5-5 tie with an RBI double from Lane Arroyos and a three-run homer to left by Daniel Stewart.

The Cougars responded right away with a four-run fourth – including a three-run homer from McNaughton – that made the score 9-5.

Arroyos delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, but BYU added two more in the fifth – including a homer from Schow to extend the lead to 11-6.

“Every time we scored, we couldn’t have a shutdown inning after it,” Rardin said. “They were always scoring one or two or later in the game they scored four again and things like that. Our pitching has got to do better on that side of it”

JP Acosta’s RBI single in the sixth made it 11-7, but the Cougars got the run back in the eighth on a solo homer from Crew McChesney.

The Hilltoppers had one more chance in the ninth, loading the bases with one out. Grayson Godbee was hit by a pitch to force in a run and bring the tying run to the plate, but a strikeout and a Hayden Nazarenus fly out to right ended the comeback attempt.

“We were not going to shut it down,” Rardin said. “We were one swing and to be honest with you he barely misses driving the ball in the gap and/or out of the yard. All of the sudden it’s a different game there. We’ve got to be more offensive with our mind and then take it to the field.”

BYU outhit WKU 16-7, but both teams stranded nine runners.

Arroyos and Stewart finished with two hits each for the Hilltoppers.

“We weren’t offensive,” Rardin said. “We weren’t offensive, which leads to being defensive playing defense, letting balls play us – being hesitant at the plate and not doing more than we could.”

WKU returns to action at 3 p.m. on Friday hosting Southeast Missouri State in the opener of a four-game series.