HADLEY, Ky. (Interstat) — The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers look to get back to .500 in conference play when they host the Belmont Bruins in a midweek non-conference matchup Tuesday at Nick Denes Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT under clear skies with temperatures around 64 degrees.

Western Kentucky (16-16) enters having dropped three straight, including a 6-5 walk-off loss to Liberty on Saturday. The Hilltoppers will look to right-hander Gavin Perry to steady the ship. Perry has been a workhorse, tossing eight innings of three-run ball with nine strikeouts in that Liberty loss. He also fired 6 2/3 no-hit innings in a win at Sam Houston State on March 29.

Belmont (12-20) arrives with momentum from a 12-1 road rout of Murray State last Friday, powered by a two-homer, five-RBI day from shortstop Cavan McMeans and a seven-inning, one-run gem from pitcher Mckale Stevenson. The Bruins have split their last six games.

A key figure for Belmont will be reliever Krish Gandhi. The right-hander has been effective lately, allowing just one earned run over his last 10 1/3 innings across seven appearances. He pitched a scoreless inning against Western Kentucky in a 7-2 loss on March 18.

The Hilltoppers won that prior meeting this season in Nashville. Interstat’s game simulator projects a close 4-3 Belmont victory, while its ELO rating system gives Western Kentucky a 71.9% probability to win.

Following Tuesday’s contest, Western Kentucky opens a home series with New Mexico State on Friday. Belmont hosts East Tennessee State for a three-game set starting Friday.