Tops beat Indiana 4-1 to claim series opener

Published 10:30 pm Friday, February 27, 2026

By The Daily News

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Western Kentucky graduate senior Austin Haller (left) signals to his teammates in the dugout after reaching base during the Hilltoppers' 4-1 win against Indiana on Friday at Nick Denes Field. (WKU ATHLETICS)

Western Kentucky opened its weekend baseball series hosting Indiana with a 4-1 victory on Friday evening at Nick Denes Field.

The Hilltoppers improved to 6-4 overall with the win and move to 1-0 in the series against the Hoosiers.

WKU broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning as Camden Ross laced an RBI double down the left-field line, plating Kyle Hayes and giving the Tops a 1-0 advantage.

Hilltopper starting pitcher Gavin Perry tossed five shutout innings, allowing just five hits while striking out six batters.

The Tops created separation in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases and capitalizing on an RBI double by Ross to plate Manny Alberto and give WKU a 2-0 lead.

WKU added another run to extend its lead to 3-0 after Kiefer Tarnoki was hit by a pitch and walked, advancing Hayes home. Austin Haller walked and plated Ross to give the Tops a 4-0 lead entering the ninth inning.

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IU pushed across its lone run in the ninth on a two-out RBI double.

Zach Lyles closed out the final frame, recording the final out of the game and earning a third save on the year.

Ross paced the Hilltopper offense with three hits including two doubles and two RBIs. Hayes totaled a game-high two runs on the evening,

Perry earned a first win for the season with a sharp performance on the mound, working out of traffic multiple times and stranding runners in scoring position in the first and fourth innings to hold the game scoreless. Mick Uebelhor tossed 3 2/3 innings in relief out of the bullpen, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out four. The Tops’ pitching staff totaled 10 strikeouts and allowed just one run on seven hits.

Indiana left a total of seven runners stranded on base in Friday’s outing, plating just one runner in the top ninth on a two-out RBI double.

WKU finished with six hits and played error-free defense to secure the win.]

The Hilltoppers continue the weekend series hosting Indiana with a doubleheader on Saturday at Nick Denes Field. Game 1 of the doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m., with Game 2 following at 4 p.m.