Luke Brown and Steven Kraft combined for five hits Friday afternoon, but Florida International’s bats were too much in a 10-6 Panthers win over Western Kentucky at Nick Denes Field.

Kraft went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI, while Brown went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Each also added a stolen base.

Entering the weekend as the top two hitters for batting average in Conference USA games, Kraft went from .404 to .408, while Brown improved from .400 to .410.

Making the final home start of his Hilltopper career, lefty Ryan Thurston allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks in six innings.

Already with a two-run single earlier in the third inning, Kraft came up big with a two-out RBI single in the sixth that scored Chase Larsen from second base and gave the Hilltoppers a 6-5 lead.

The Panthers rallied in the seventh inning. Following an infield single and strikeout to begin the top of the frame, Conner Boyd came in to relieve Michael Martin to face FIU’s Eddie Garcia.

On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Garcia lifted a home run off Boyd that cleared the left-field fence for the 7-6 lead.

The Panthers added three more on a two-out Logan Allen homer in the eighth off Jacob Green. After starting the frame with a pair of strikeouts, Seth Canaday and Derek Cartaya singled to bring up Allen.

Michael Darrell-Hicks was the lone unscathed pitcher for the Hilltoppers, tossing a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout.