"Today we were loose and focused," head coach Amy Tudor started. "Any time you can play a top-ranked opponent at their place and put up three runs against them – which hasn't happened much – you know your team is confident at the plate. This was the first big game for some of our players and I thought we responded well to the challenge."
"Jordan Thomas and Paige Carter had big days at the plate as well as Jordan Vorbrink, Rebekah Engelhardt and Maddie Bowlds stepping up with hits for us," Tudor continued. "We ended up getting to see an All-American in the circle, which always makes for a fun challenge."
Jordan Thomas led the Red and White off with a single in the first inning from Baton Rouge before Maddie Bowlds moved her into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Paige Carter singled to left field and Thomas came around to score, beating the throw to the plate for a 1-0 WKU lead. Entering the midweek contest, the Hilltoppers were 6-0 on the year when scoring in the first frame.
To lead off the top of the third, Rebekah Engelhardt sent the first pitch she saw to the leftfield corner for her seventh double of the season. Thomas proceeded to draw a walk before Bowlds sent a single back up the middle to score Engelhardt for a 2-0 WKU advantage. The Red and White weren't done though, Carter stepped into the box for her second at bat of the game and dropped a single into shallow right field to score Thomas from second to push WKU's lead to 3-0.
WKU chased the LSU pitcher, Maribeth Gorsuch, after 2.0 frames as the Tigers were forced to call upon All-American hurler Allie Walljasper to close out the game. Gorsuch allowed all three of WKU's runs in the game while four of the Hilltoppers' seven hits came off Walljasper.
LSU got on the board in the bottom of the third inning with back-to-back singles followed by a home run to centerfield. In the circle, Shelby Nunn responded with a strikeout before the Hilltoppers turned two to get back to the dugout. After sending the Red and White back to the dugout in order, the Tigers struck for two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead at 5-3.
The Tigers added another pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to open up a 7-3 advantage over the Tops, which would end up standing as the final score.
Nunn took the decision in the circle, allowing four runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeout. Kelsey Aikey relieved Nunn in the top of the fourth and worked the next 1.1 innings allowing three runs on three hits. Haylee Towers wrapped up the game for the Hilltopper pitching staff, tossing the game's final 1.2 innings. Towers allowed three hits, no runs and one walk while striking out three Tigers.
"In the circle, I thought Shelby Nunn did a good job setting the tone through the first couple innings and Haylee Towers really did so as well to close out the game," stated Tudor. "We are continuing to learn and adjust and I feel that we can take that confidence with us moving forward."
NEXT TIME OUT:
Up next, the Hilltoppers are headed for Mobile, Ala., to take on the Jaguars of South Alabama. First pitch on Wednesday afternoon is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
Wed. March 14 at South Alabama – 4 p.m. CT | JagNation TV | Stats
TOPPER NOTES:
- Against SEC squads, WKU is now 18-42 all-time including a 5-9 mark under head coach Amy Tudor. The Hilltoppers are now 0-3 all-time against LSU with all three setbacks coming in Baton Rouge, La.
- Jordan Thomas continued her success in the leadoff role going 1-for-2 while also drawing a walk when leading off an inning. The freshman is now 17-of-33 in leadoff opportunities. As a team, WKU has reached base in 62-of-160 leadoff chances this season for a .388 rate.
- WKU is now 6-1 when scoring in the first inning and 13-2 when scoring first this season.
- Paige Carter had a multi-hit, multi-RBI day at No. 8 LSU. Carter accounted for a pair of RBI for her 9th multi-RBI game of the season. Her two singles also marked the sophomore's 9th multi-hit day this year.
- With three runs, WKU became just the third team to score at least three runs on nationally-ranked LSU all season. The other two games came against No 3/4 UCLA and No. 5/2 Oregon. From Conference USA, Southern Miss (4-0), Louisiana Tech (2-1, 9) and Florida Atlantic (6-1, 5-1) were all held to a maximum of one run.
How to Follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball.
