Daily News, Bowling Green, Kentucky Sports Monday, March 18, 2019 5C

By the Daily News

Western Kentucky led from wire-to-wire thanks to a three-run home run in the first inning and a tri-ple play turned by the defense in the fourth as the Hilltoppers defeated Alabama-Birmingham 5-3 Sunday to sweep the team’s Conference USA-opening series at Nick Denes Field.

It was WKU’s first sweep to begin league play since defeating Middle Tennessee three times from March 15-16, 2013, to open the Sun Belt portion of the sched-ule. It was the first sweep of a C-USA opponent since defeating UTSA three times from April 22-24, 2016.

After a 1-2-3 top of the first by WKU starter Reece Calvert, Jackson Swiney and Davis Sims both singled on the first pitch they saw from UAB starter Tyler O’Clair. Up came right fielder Jake Sanford, who launched his sixth home run of the year to left-center field to give the Hilltoppers a 3-0 lead in the

bottom of the first.After O’Clair walked

Richard Constantine and Jack Wilson to follow, he was pulled for righty Riley Davis, who got the Blazers out of the inning without fur-ther damage.

UAB fought back with two runs in the third – including a solo home run from first baseman Thomas Johns – but Calvert struck out cleanup hitter J. Paul Fullerton and kept the tying run stranded on third base to hold a 3-2 lead for WKU.

After catcher Matt Phipps doubled home Constantine with a fourth Hilltopper run in the bottom of the third, Calvert had trouble the next inning. With runners on first and second and no outs, the Plano, Texas, native went 2-0 on the next batter, des-ignated hitter Christian Waltman.

WKU coach John Pawlowski went out for a mound visit, and Waltman hit into a triple play on the next pitch. Stationed right near third base, Sam McElreath

fielded a two-hopper and stepped on the bag, fired to Jack Wilson at second base, who then turned to first base-man Davis Sims to complete the three-out rally killer.

It was the first triple play turned by WKU since Austin Peay hit into a 3-4 lineout against the Hilltoppers on April 14, 2009.

WKU got an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth, when Sims doubled into the left-field corner with no outs, which then prompted the Blazers to intentionally walk Sanford. Constantine came through with a single that brought Sims around to score for a 5-2 lead.

WKU righty Kenny LaPierre fired a scoreless fifth, then lefty Troy Newell posted zeroes in the sixth and seventh. Reliever Joe Filosa came on in the eighth and allowed one run, but worked a scoreless ninth to earn his second save of the season.

WKU will face Austin Peay at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Nick Denes Field.

By the Daily News

Western Kentucky fin-ished off a three-game sweep of Conference USA rival Florida International on Sunday with a 5-4 win over the Panthers in Miami.

The Hilltoppers were led by a three-hit performance by senior Jordan Vorbrink, and Kelsey Aikey locked down her fourth save of the season.

With the squad’s first C-USA series sweep since 2017, the Hilltoppers opened league play at 3-0 while improving to 18-5 overall. FIU dropped to 17-12 (0-3 C-USA).

Across the series, Shannon

Plese went 6-for-10 with five RBIs while Vorbrink was 3-for-5 with a double and home run.

The Hilltoppers opened the scoring Sunday in the top of the third. Vorbrink doubled and moved to third on a groundout. Jordan Thomas brought her home with another WKU double.

FIU led off the bottom of the fourth with a double, but Kennedy Sullivan struck out the next two Panthers before inducing a foul flyout to end the inning.

WKU added two more runs in the top of the fifth on a Plese RBI single and a successful steal of home by Taylor Davis on a double

steal.WKU added two more

runs in the sixth after Vorbrink connected for her first home run of the season and third hit of the game to push the lead to 5-0.

After the Panthers pulled within 5-4 in the sixth, Aikey came on in relief and induced a popup to McElroy at shortstop for the third out. Aikey then tossed a score-less seventh to earn the save.

Sullivan picked up the vic-tory to improve to 12-2 over-all and 2-0 in league play. The freshman worked 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts.

WKU will visit Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

WKU baseball

Triple play helps Toppers complete sweep of Blazers

WKU softball

Hilltoppers win again at FIU

By The Associated Press

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita plans to resume rac-ing on March 29, pend-ing approval of new safety and medication rules by the California Horse Racing Board.

Racing has been suspend-ed since March 5 at the track, where 22 horses have suffered fatal injuries since Dec. 26. Limited training is being allowed on the main dirt track while testing of the surface and new rules involving safety and medi-cation are being worked out.

The track, along with Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, and the Thoroughbred Owners of California reached agree-ment late Saturday to enact the most stringent medica-tion rules in North America.

All horses born in or after 2018 will race at Santa Anita and Golden Gate with no race-day medication, includ-ing the anti-bleeding medi-cation Lasix. That means all 2-year-old horses starting in 2020 and after will race medication-free.

All horses born before 2018 will race at the two tracks owned by The Stronach Group under the same guidelines, but Lasix will still be permitted only at 50 percent of current levels.

Dionne Benson, execu-tive director of the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium, says extra time to adjust is necessary since the Lasix change will require many trainers to manage their horses without the medication for the first time.

Nearly every country out-side the U.S. bans the use of Lasix on race days. Only 3.6 percent of the nearly 300,000 starts last year in the U.S. were made with-out Lasix, according to The Jockey Club.

CHRB chairman Chuck Winner says he will move the previously scheduled March 21 board meeting to March 28 in order for the full board to consider and vote on items that need its approval. The later date complies with the legally required 10-day public notice for meetings.

Santa Anita, Golden Gate and the TOC have agreed on the following:

• transparency on all veter-inary records;

• strict limits on the use of any pain or anti-inflammato-ry medication and treatment, including legal therapeutic anti-inflammatory drugs, joint injections, shockwave therapy, and anabolic ste-roids;

• trainers must apply for permission to have their horses participate in timed workouts at least 48 hours in advance;

• no therapeutic medica-tions or treatments will be allowed without a qualified veterinary diagnosis from a state-licensed vet;

• strict out-of-competition testing;

• increasing the time required for horses to be on-site before a race;

• investment by TSG in diagnostic equipment to

help in the early detection of pre-existing conditions in horses.

“TSG is committed to the principles of safe horse racing for both equine and human athletes and to mak-ing California racing the best in the world,” said Belinda Stronach, TSG chairwoman and president. “It is my hope the other tracks in California will follow suit.”

TSG negotiated with TOC and the California Thoroughbred Trainers to reach the agreement.

“I am confident we all share the same goal of mak-ing California racing safer and doing everything we can to provide additional safety and protection for our hors-es,” said Greg Avioli, TOC president and CEO.

The new rules could result in trainers and owners mov-ing their horses to other states with less restrictive medication rules.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said Friday it would with the CHRB to investigate what caused the horses’ deaths.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has also urged an investigation into trainers and vets.

Santa Anita set to resume racingHorse racing

BETH HARRIS/APThe home stretch and stands are empty at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., where the deaths of 21 thoroughbreds in two months forced the cancellation of horse racing and threw the workaday world of trainers, jockeys and horses into disarray.

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