4/29/2009 - Baseball
Bisons and Hilltoppers engage in slugfest http://www.lipscombsports.com/baseball/news/2/4746/
 

The Lipscomb Bisons and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers held a mid-week slugfest Wednesday night at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen L. Marsh Stadium.

The Hilltoppers pounded out 14 hits, including four home runs for the second time this week, to beat the Bisons 9-3 in a non-conference match-up. The Bisons had 10 hits, including one home run.

The Bisons jumped on Hilltopper starter Ben Paxton in the first inning. M.L. Williams led off with a double to center. Tyler Wilson singled to left field to move M.L. Williams to third. Branden Cadavid hit a sacrifice fly to left which drove in Williams for a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning the Hilltoppers used two home runs, one with a man on base, to go ahead 3-1 against Lipscomb’s Matt Bowling who was making his second start and 19th appearance of the season.

This Bisons responded in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs M.L. Williams singled to center. Tyler Wilson followed with a single that scored M.L. Williams, but Wilson got thrown out at third on the play after advancing to second on the throw.

Terrence Dayleg would reach on an error by M.L. Williams to start out the fourth and would later score on a home run to left field by Logan Robbins to give the Hilltoppers a 5-2 lead.

Kes Carter doubled down the left field line in the sixth inning, and would come around to score on a single through the right side by Jake Wells to make the score 6-2 in favor of the Hilltoppers.

Justin Sanders tried to spark the Lipscomb attack by belting his seventh home run of the season over the left center wall. Sanders has 35 RBI and leads the Bisons in home runs.

The Hilltoppers would add one more run in the seventh and two in the ninth thanks to RBIs by Dayleg and Cregar, who homered with a man on, to make the score 9-3.

The Bisons were unable to rally in the ninth as they fell to the Hilltoppers for the second time this season. The Bisons lost 10-6 at Bowling Green, Ky., April 1.

Wilson led the Bisons with three hits. M.L. Williams had two.

Western Kentucky used six pitchers. The Bisons used four.

Bowling went 3.2 innings allowing six hits and five runs, three earned. He struck out two. Josh Cotham pitched 1.1 innings. He gave up one hit and struck out one batter. Charles Williams threw three innings. He was touched for six hits and two runs, both earned. He struck out three.

Kyle Tognazzini closed out the game for the Bisons. He gave up one hit and two runs, both earned. He struck out one and walked one.

Bowling was credited with the loss, evening his record at 1-1.

The Bisons begin a home Atlantic Sun series with Belmont Friday at 6. The two teams will also meet Saturday at 6 and Sunday at 1. It will be a festive weekend with the members of the 1979 NAIA National Championship team receiving rings commemorating the achievement. Three former baseball players, Buddy Harston, Jeff Guy and Phil Stinson, will also be inducted into the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame.

The Bisons slipped to 17-27 overall. Western Kentucky is 32-12.

This story was written by Tyler Craig, a student assistant on the Bisons A-Sun TV broadcasts.