In college sports there are some rivalries that are intense, Kentucky/Louisville, North Carolina/Duke, Michigan/Ohio State but none are as intense as EKU and Western Kentucky. These two school could match up in a game of Monopoly and it would be a battle. The Colonels (9-15 2-4) enter the game off a series win over Morehead State taking two of three over the weekend. The Hilltoppers (12-12 3-3) come in taking two of three at Rice. These teams matched up earlier this season in Bowling Green with the Colonels winning 7-5 back on March 13th.Western Kentucky leads the series against the Colonels 74-62. EKU is 6-1 at home on the season. The Colonels ran freshman Will Bryan (2-1 4.91 ERA) out to face the Toppers. The lefty started the game allowing a walk and then a base hit. Junior Jacob Rhinesmith hit a monster three run homer to center, his 9th on the season, and WKU is up 3-0. Next hitter laced a double down the left field line and followed by back to back singles bringing in another run to make it 4-0 with still no outs. Coach Thompson makes a pitching change to another freshman Darren Williams and he is able to get out the jam and after a half inning it was 4-0. Bottom half of the first Cornell Nixon drew a lead off walk and stole second base, making him 13-14 on the season in steals, but e was picked off. After Nixon was picked off a base it and a double from All OVC player Alex Holderbach put the Colonels in scoring position. Chris Botsoe, red shirt sophomore, lined a double to score two runs, his 19th and 20th RBI of the season, making it 4-2. A two out base hit from Nick Howie drives in a run and runs the Hilltopper pitcher after 2/3 of an inning. After one inning Western led 4-3. Second inning saw Western Kentucky Steven Kraft hit a no doubter over the left field wall to drive in 2 runs and make it 6-3. Home half of the second inning saw back to back walks for the Colonels and a three run home run from Holderbach ties the game at 6. The wind is blowing out and like last seasons game here in Richmond that went to extra's and was 16-15 this one looks like a repeat. The third inning saw something we hadn't seen yet, a perfect half inning. Nick Laster was able to put the Hilltoppers down 1,2,3. Neither team got much going until EKU got an RBI single from Ryland Kerr to give the Colonels their first lead of the game. The lead was short lived as Rhinesmith led off the top of the 5th with a triple and scored on a ground out to tie the game once again at 7. Colin Butkiewicz with a two out single drives in two runs and gives Western Kentucky a 9-7 lead going in to the bottom of the 5th inning. Bottom of the 5th saw EKU get a couple of base runners with one out but Western was able to once again get of the jam with a strikeout to end the inning. Bottom of the sixth Cornell Nixon with a dying line drive that fell in for a base hit led off the inning. He stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error from the catcher. He later scored on a sac fly from Kerr to get the Colonels within a run at 9-8 after six complete. In the top of the eighth Western Kentucky gets a gift, a fly ball to center is caught up in the wind, and dropped by the center fielder and allowed a run to score. Tyler Robertson followed that up with a single scoring the second unearned run of the inning. After 7 1/2 Western Leads 11-8. Home half of the 8th saw EKU get the bases loaded with two outs and they were able to get one run and cut the Western lead to two, 11-9 ending to the 9th. Top of the 9th WKU got a couple of runners and a bunt back to the pitcher saw Andrew McWhorther go to third base for the force attempt but an errant throw pulls the third baseman off the bag loading the bases. McWhorther induces a double play but a run comes across the plate making it 12-9 and Ray Zuberer with a double makes it 13-9. Couple of walks loaded the bases but Bryan Quillens, senior righty who replaced McWhorther, struck out Robertson to leave the bases loaded. Western with a perfect bottom of the 9th to win it 13-9 over the Colonels. With the win EKU and WKU split the series. In a game that took nearly four hours and saw 16 pitchers combined, 16 hits for Western and 14 for the Colonels. EKU commit three errors on the afternoon. Colonels go on the road this weekend to play an OVC tournament series at Tennesse-Martin. They return home on April 6th for a series with SIU Edwardsville.
