WKU Baseball and West Virginia split a Saturday doubleheader at Nick Denes Field, with the Mountaineers winning game one 8-3 and the Hilltoppers taking game two 7-6.

West Virginia (7-5) leads the series 2-1 heading into the series finale Sunday.

After faltering late in game one, WKU (7-5) responded in a big way, putting up a four-spot in the first inning of game two. Brady Browning’s first home run of the year cleared the left-field wall, giving the Tops the lead and they never looked back.

The teams traded runs in the middle three frames, but with a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, Mason Burns struck out the final two West Virginia hitters to seal the win. 

“Two things about today. I’ve )told our guys that we’ve won a doubleheader. At the Division I level it’s hard to win a doubleheader,” WKU coach Marc Rardin said in a news release. “It’s hard to sweep a doubleheader at the Division I level. It’s just a long day. Obviously, there’s a lot going into it. Now, we were on the other side of that in the first game. We started giving it away and they jumped on us. They really stretched that lead. It was really good for us. Even with (Zach Dueñas struggling, and we spot them again. Just our response right away.

“That’s just what we are trying to do. We’re trying to learn how to win. We’re trying to learn how to compete at a higher level, and just be consistent doing it. It’s going to take some time. It’s not a young roster, but it’s an inexperienced roster. We need these moments and it’s good to see.”

After being shut out in the two games prior, WKU didn’t waste anymore time to get on the board in Saturday’s opener by way of an RBI double from Ethan Lizama.

Lizama was the only Hilltopper to record a multi-hit performance in game one, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Mountaineers used a solo shot in the top of the second to tie the game at 1, but the Tops responded in the bottom of the third with another RBI doubleoff the bat of Kyle Hayes, his first e xtra-bagger of the season.

WVU quickly answered with an RBI double of its own and an RBI groundout to take the lead, 3-2, but a sacrifice fly from Dylan O’Connell knotted the game at 3-3 after four innings. 

The Hilltoppers elected to turn to the bullpen, taking starter Jacob Bimbi out of the game with no outs and two runners on in the fifth. The southpaw fanned three hitters while conceding three runs on five hits and two walks. True freshman Drew Whalen entered and escaped unscathed after retired three straight Mountaineer batters.

His luck ran out the very next inning as West Virginia tacked on three runs with a two RBI single and RBI double in back-to-back at-bats, pushing the lead to 6-3. 

The Tops were unable to plate anymore runs through the final three and a half innings while WVU added a few insurance runs in the top of the ninth to secure the 8-3 win in game one.

There were a combined six runs scored in the first inning of game two with the Mountaineers taking a 2-0 lead in the top half of the frame. A sacrifice fly and an RBI single put West Virginia in front, but the Hilltoppers evened the score almost immediately in the bottom half of the inning. An RBI groundout from Joey Baran and a bunt single from Lizama tied the game at 2-2 before a two-run homer from Browning put the Tops ahead 4-2 after one.

Cal Higgins provided some good relief work out of the bullpen for WKU, only allowing one run (zero earned) in three innings of work. His one run allowed came off a hit-by-pitch after a fielding error by WKU loaded the bases.

WKU turned to the bullpen once again to begin the fifth inning with Hunter Small checking into the game. The junior put up a zero in the fifth, ending the inning with a strikeout to keep it a one-run game. A couple of insurance runs scored for WKU in the fifth with a passed ball scoring Dylan O’Connell from third and Baran adding his second RBI of the day with a single to extend the lead to 6-3.

Small couldn’t keep up the momentum, surrendering two RBI singles in the sixth and cutting the Tops lead to 6-5. In the bottom half of the sixth, WKU added to its lead once again with a sacrifice fly from Austin Haller, giving the Hilltoppers a 7-5 advantage after seven complete innings.

Cory Bosecker entered in relief to finish the top of the sixth for WKU and notched back-to-back scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth frames. The left-hander earned three strikeouts while surrendering one run on one hit and one walk in 2 2/3 innings of work. A lead-off, ninth-inning long home run forced Bosecker out of the game for WKU, once again making it a one-run game.]

The Tops handed the ball to Burns, who didn’t waste any time to finish things on the mound. He only needed eight pitches for three outs, with the final two being strikeouts, to earn the 7-6 victory over the Mountaineers.

The Hilltoppers will conclude their four-game series with the Mountaineers on Sunday beginning at noon at Nick Denes Field.