BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Steven DiPuglia's walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning scored Harrison Scanlon to lead Western Kentucky to a 3-2 win over FIU on Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field in Bowling Green, Ky.

With the victory the Hilltoppers (24-20, 10-11 Conference USA) avoided a three-game sweep by the Panthers (22-24, 9-12 C-USA) and moved one game ahead of FIU for eighth place in the conference standings. The top eight teams in the conference play in the C-USA tournament on May 25 in Hattiesburg, Miss.

For the first 10 innings Saturday each teams' pitchers traded zeros. FIU starter Alex Demchak and right-handers Nate Pearson and Andres Nunez combined to shutout WKU. Left-hander Ryan Thurston started for WKU and threw 10 scoreless innings.

In the top of the 11th inning FIU cracked the scoreboard first. Despite WKU using three pitchers in the 11th, the Panthers scored twice. Jack Schaaf's infield single off Kevin Elder (4-4) with the bases loaded brought home Rey Perez, who led off the inning with a single. Nick Day, who was intentionally walked, came around to score when WKU second baseman Steven Kraft's throw to second base went past shortstop DiPuglia's into short left field. 

Williams Durruthy came on in the bottom of the 11th inning to try and record his third save in three games. But WKU rallied. Hunter Wood hit a solo home run to right. DiPugilia reached on a throwing error by Zack Soria and scored on a single to center by Kaleb Duckworth to tie the score 2-2.

In the bottom of the 12th, left-hander Frank Chacon (0-2) entered the game for FIU. Scanlon led off and reached base on an error by Irving Lopez. Chacon then sailed a pickoff throw past first baseman Zach Files allowing Scanlon to advance to second base before scoring on DiPuglia's game-ending hit off Willy Fabra to right field with two outs.

WKU had two chances to take the lead and/or win the game in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings but two defensive plays by FIU sent the game to extra innings.
In the eighth, Nunez uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded and two out but the ball hit the brick portion of the backstop and ricocheted to Nunez, who applied the tag on Scanlon trying to score from third base.

In the ninth, left fielder Kolby Follis threw out DiPuglia at home trying to score on a single by Leiff Clarkson.

Follis and Perez had more than half of FIU's nine hits. Perez was 3 for 6. Follis was 2 for 5.

On deck FIU returns home to open a three-game series against nationally-ranked Rice at 6:30 p.m. Friday from the FIU ballpark. The game can be seen on PantherVision and heard on the FIU Sports Radio Network.