March 31, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Sara Alan?s and Jessie Richardson each hit their third home run of the season Saturday to lead Western Kentucky University to a 7-4 Sun Belt Conference softball victory over New Mexico State in the first game of a doubleheader at WKU Softball Field.
Heather Nobbe and Lizette Olivares collected an opponent record four hits apiece to lift NMSU to a 9-0 win in the second contest, which was called after six innings. The games were the first ever in league play for both schools.
The Hilltoppers (14-16, 1-1 Sun Belt) answered in every half inning that the Aggies (14-34, 1-1 SBC) scored in the first game, but did not take a lead until the bottom of the fifth. NMSU opened the scoring in the second on Ryon Adams' two-out single up the middle -- ending a career-best streak of 17.2 scoreless innings for WKU starter Veronica Giddens -- but the Toppers evened the score when Richardson came home on an Amber Mosher error that allowed Kristalyn Smith to reach first. Nobbe singled up the middle to plate Melissa Briggs from second base with two outs, giving the Aggies another one-run advantage in the third, however, Alan?s homered to center field to tie the game, 2-2.
After Mosher singled home Olivares to give NMSU a 3-2 advantage in the fifth, Western took its first lead on Richardson's two-out, two run home run to center field -- it marked the first time this season that Western has had multiple homers in the same game. It was the Aggies turn to tie the score in their next at bat, as Amanda Thurmond reached base with a leadoff walk and came around to score on Briggs' two-out single to left, knocking Giddens out of the contest. The Hilltoppers took the lead for good with three runs on a pair of hits and the aid of three errors in the bottom of the sixth. Shanon Searle led off with a single and moved to third when Smith reached base on an error attempting to sacrifice. Searle scored as Riley Garcia reached base on another NMSU miscue to give Western a 5-4 lead, and Smith came home when Melissa Gomes grounded out to second. Alan?s added an RBI single to close out the scoring.
Alan?s and Searle each tied a career high with three hits, accounting for six of the Hilltoppers' seven base knocks. Alan?s and Richardson both scored twice and drove in two runs. Briggs had three hits and drove in a run to lead the Aggies, who had eight of nine starters collect at least one hit. Nobbe went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Thurmond scored twice.
Allison Silver relieved Giddens in the sixth and retired all four batters she faced to earn the victory. Mosher went the distance for NMSU, giving up seven hits and a walk while striking out three to fall to 5-11.
The Aggies took a 1-0 lead in the second game when Nobbe singled home Olivares -- who led off the contest with a bunt single -- then broke it open with a five-run second inning. Olivares had a two-run single to begin a string of four consecutive run-scoring hits, with Briggs doubling home Olivares, and Mosher and Nobbe following with RBI singles. Nobbe added a solo home run in the fourth, and Adrian Nobles hit a two-run homer in the sixth for NMSU.
Nobbe finished 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI, while Olivares was 4-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs. The Aggies matched a WKU opponent season high with 13 hits in the game as the first seven batters in the lineup reached base safely at least once.
Judy Blok allowed a leadoff single to Garcia, then proceeded to retire the next 16 Hilltoppers before walking pinch hitter Laura King in the sixth, to earn the victory. She struck out four in moving to 7-9 on the season. Silver -- who gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in 1.1 innings -- fell to 6-6, picking up the decision in both ends of the twinbill for the Toppers.
Western and NMSU conclude the four-game conference series with an 11 a.m. (CDT) doubleheader Sunday.
-- WKU --
