Red-hot Sanford notches three more hits in Western Kentucky loss

Team Nova Scotia alum Jake Sanford (Dartmouth, N.S.) had three more hits for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in their loss to Middle Tennessee on Friday. Photo: WKU Athletics

April 5, 2019

By Bryan Fyalkowski

WKU Athletics

TOPPERS TALLY 13 HITS IN SERIES OPENER AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Four WKU Baseball batters recorded multiple hits on Friday night, but Middle Tennessee shortstop Myles Christian's three home runs and seven runs batted in led the hosts to a 13-4 victory in Game 1 of the series. Christian matched Jake Sanford (Dartmouth, N.S.) as the lone Conference USA players to hit three home runs in a game this season.

Sanford led WKU with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, raising his batting average to .395 on the season, including .477 in 10 league games. Both of those marks top the charts among all C-USA hitters.

The Hilltoppers got out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on RBI singles from designated hitter Dillon Nelson and catcher Matt Phipps that scored first baseman Richard Constantine and Sanford, respectively. But with one out and the bases loaded, Blue Raider starter Carson Lester was able to get the final two outs without any further damage.

That would prove immensely important for the hosts, who responded with four runs on five hits against WKU starter Eric Crawford to take a 4-2 lead that they would never relinquish.

Trailing 6-2 in the third, Phipps added another RBI single to make it a three-run deficit. Left fielder Ray Zuberer III brought home another run with a two-out, RBI double in the fifth to bring the score to 6-4.

After allowing a solo homerun to Christian with two outs in the second, reliever Collin Lollar retired seven-straight Middle Tennessee batters coming into the bottom of the fifth. But that streak ended when catcher Aaron Antonini led off with a double and Christian followed with a two-run shot to push the score to 8-4.

Christian added his third dinger of the day — a grand slam — off reliever Maddex Richardson with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to push the spread to nine, where it finished at Reese Smith Jr. Field for the evening.

Topper Notes

-Nelson went 2-for-4 with one walk and one run batted in. It was the Omaha, Neb., native's seventh multi-hit game of the season and marked the first time he reached base three times since a three-hit performance on March 7 vs. Memphis. His 22nd run batted in of the season stands second to Sanford's 43.

-Phipps went 2-for-5 with two runs batted in, marking his eighth multi-hit and third multi-RBI games of the year. It was his first multi-RBI performance since Feb. 27 vs. Murray State.

-Freshman center fielder Jackson Swiney went 2-for-5 with one run scored. It was the sixth multi-hit game of the rookie campaign, and third over the past five games, where he has raised his season batting average from .222 to .257.

-Lollar ate a lot of innings in relief for WKU, as the junior from Columbus, Ind., had career-highs of 6.1 innings pitched, 86 pitches and five strikeouts. He let up five hits — four for extra-bases — and one walk while allowing four runs.