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UK baseball suffered an in-state loss at the hands of Western Kentucky on Tuesday, falling to the Hilltoppers 12-3 in Bowling Green, Ky.

The Cats got on the board in the first inning with runs batted in by sophomore second baseman JaVon Shelby and junior designated hitter Dorian Hairston. Junior left fielder Ka’ai Tom also crossed the plate in the inning to give UK a 3-0 lead.

But WKU quickly answered in the second inning with four runs off of three hits. Sophomore second baseman Leiff Clarkson drove in an RBI and senior first baseman Ryan Church hit a three-run home run off of UK starter Zach Logue.

The Hilltoppers were able to chase Logue after adding another run in the third inning when junior third baseman Danny Hudzina hit an RBI-single. Logue allowed five runs on seven hits in his first loss of the season.

The Hilltoppers were then able to break the contest open as they collected six combined runs in the fifth and sixth inning, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Shelby, Tom and freshman Evan White all had two hits in the game for UK. Junior centerfielder Kyle Barrett had a hit in the first inning to extend his streak to seven games.

WKU right-hander Sam Higgs was awarded the win after the sophomore didn’t allow a hit in 2.1 innings of work out of the bullpen.

UK moves to 15-9 on the season with the loss and are now on a two-game slide. The Cats will be back in action on Wednesday when they take on Morehead State at home. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Staff Report