WKU Baseball defeated Austin Peay 6-4 on April 22 at Nick Denes Field in Bowling Green, improving their season record to 22-20. The Hilltoppers rallied late in the game, with Cael Frost delivering a go-ahead double in the seventh inning and Jacob O’Day earning the win in relief.
The game was significant as it extended WKU’s all-time series lead over Austin Peay to 102-63-1, including a strong home record of 53-26-1 against the Governors. The victory also showcased key performances from several players and marked another close contest between the two teams.
In the second inning, Camden Ross gave WKU an early lead by scoring on a wild pitch. Austin Peay responded with four runs in the fifth inning to take control. However, Daniel Stewart tied the game for WKU with a three-run home run as a pinch hitter later that same inning. In the seventh, Frost doubled down the left field line to drive in two runs and secure the win for his team.
Jacob O’Day pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out five batters—a career best—and did not allow any hits or runs. Gage Olsen started for WKU and recorded six strikeouts over just more than four innings of work. Other notable contributions came from Lane Arroyos, who reached base multiple times and scored twice; JP Acosta added two hits to extend his hitting streak to five games.
Head coach Marc Rardin said, “The biggest thing about tonight was our guys responding to put us back in the game. In that seventh inning before we scored two runs, they weren’t able to turn a double play that extended the inning for us. Then Frost did a tremendous job of staying on a ball and going with it the other way for a double to score us a couple runs and give us the lead.”
Looking ahead, WKU will host Kennesaw State for a three-game Conference USA series beginning Friday night at Nick Denes Field.
