Western Kentucky’s baseball team produced another 17-hit performance Friday to beat Bowling Green 17-5 at Nick Denes Field.

Six Hilltoppers posted multi-hit games, six had multi-run days and five had multi-RBI performances in a balanced attack in the series’ opening game.

All 17 runs came within the first four innings, as WKU built a 17-1 lead going into the seventh. Starter Ryan Thurston pitched his most effective game of the season, completing six innings on only 75 pitches, 52 of them strikes. The lefty struck out seven while only allowing three hits, one walk and one run to the Falcons.

The Hilltoppers struck for four in the first inning, due in large part to a bases-loaded, three-run double by Tyler Robertson. Then six singles in the second inning pushed five more runs across for WKU to make it a 9-0 game.

After BGSU strung together a couple of base hits for a run in the top of the third, the Hilltoppers responded in the bottom half.

Steven Kraft hit a double to the right-center field gap to score Ray Zuberer III and Jacob Rhinesmith, then Colie Currie followed with a two-run home run.

Later in the third, the Hilltoppers loaded the bases for Zuberer and he cleared them with a triple into the right-field corner.

To cap the scoring, Robertson homered into the left-field bullpen on a two-out, 0-2 pitch in the fourth to push WKU’s lead to 16 runs. It was the third home run in two games for Robertson, a senior from Russell Springs who had entered Tuesday’s game at Belmont with only one homer in his first 55 games at WKU.

With weather reports questionable for Sunday, the Hilltoppers and Falcons will play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon. WKU is slated to start right-handers Colby Taylor and Paul Kirkpatrick, while BGSU is set to throw righties David Steward and Tyler Anderson.