March 28, 2001
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Lee Ann Mongar drove in the game-winning run in each contest Wednesday to lead Tennessee Tech to a 3-2, 5-3 doubleheader sweep of Western Kentucky University at Tech Softball Field.
The Golden Eagles (21-13) have won the last three meetings between the two schools, including two in their final at bat. It marks the first time this season that Western (13-15) has been swept in a twinbill.
WKU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the opener after Riley Garcia led off with a single and scored one out later on a double down the left-field line from Sara Alan?s. The Toppers held that advantage until the sixth, when the Golden Eagles scored twice to take a 2-1 lead. Mongar doubled with one out, then Adrienne Fortmann followed with a triple to left to plate pinch runner Angie Best. After a walk to Leanne Holley, Fortmann scored when Amy Goad grounded out to second base.
But, Western responded with a run in the top of the seventh to tie the game. Shanon Searle singled leading off and moved up a base when pinch hitter Kristalyn Smith walked with two outs. Garcia singled up the middle to score Searle, who beat Stephanie Dallmann's throw to the plate.
Tech loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom half of the frame on a pair of hits and a walk, winning the contest when Mongar singled through the left side on the first pitch after Katie Swertfager had struck out cleanup hitter Jennifer Smith.
Fortmann allowed five hits and walked four with four strikeouts to improve to 13-7. Swertfager, who had a no-hitter through four innings, gave up seven hits and six walks in the final three innings in dropping to 1-7 on the season. The sophomore right-hander fanned five.
Garcia and Searle had two hits each to pace the Hilltoppers in the first game, while Mongar had a pair of hits and Holley reached base three times on two walks and a hit for TTU.
Mongar singled up the middle to plate Holly Speiser from second base to open the scoring in the second game, and Smith singled in two more as the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the nightcap. Speiser and Whitney Williams added back-to-back run-scoring hits an inning later to give Tech a five-run advantage before the Toppers mounted a comeback. WKU avoided the shutout when Alan?s -- who was 2-for-3 in the second contest -- singled with the bases loaded in the third to bring home Smith. Garcia scored when Holley committed a pair of errors on the same play, and Jessie Richardson added an RBI double in the fifth to cut the Topper deficit in half, but the contest was called after the inning due to darkness.
Smith tied a career high with a pair of hits and Garcia walked twice.
Lori Bayless gave up an unearned run over 5.0 innings to move to 3-2, allowing four hits and a pair of walks while striking out four. She left after the fourth, but reentered with runners on second and third and no outs in the fifth and recorded the final three outs to wrap up the game.
Allison Silver (5-5) took the loss, ending a personal four-game win streak, despite not allowing an earned run. She allowed six hits and a walk while fanning one.
The Hilltoppers return to action Friday at 6 p.m. (CST) when Western plays host to New Mexico State in the schools' first-ever Sun Belt Conference series. The two teams will also play a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Saturday and a single game Sunday at noon.
-- WKU --
