Western Kentucky dropped its series finale to Florida Atlantic 9-3 on Saturday at FAU Baseball Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.

After the Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Owls took control from there to capture the victory, spearheaded by a five-run third inning.

“We’ll just have to regroup,” WKU coach John Pawlowski said in a news release. “We’ve got a game against Lipscomb on Tuesday and then Marshall coming in for a big series.

“It starts on the mound and then we have to execute. We’ve put ourselves in positions where we’re making multiple, multiple pitches and then the pitch count goes up. You’ve got to be able to get off the field, we just weren’t able to get off the field this weekend.”

The Hilltoppers utilized six pitchers against FAU, with the group combining to allow 12 hits and nine runs while recording eight strikeouts in 8 innings.

At the plate, WKU tallied eight hits and three walks, with two players producing multi-hit performances. Jackson Gray went 2-for-4, while Ty Batusich added a 2-for-5 outing.

The Hilltoppers will return home to face Lipscomb at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Nick Denes Field.