March 12, 2002
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Allison Silver threw 5.1 perfect innings and Amy Tudor had a key two-run single in the sixth inning Tuesday to lead Western Kentucky University to a 4-2 softball victory over Evansville in the second game of a doubleheader, one of the first games ever played at Cooper Stadium.
The Aces (13-13) used a one-hit shutout effort from Katie Markle to win the first game, 2-0.
Riley Garcia singled up the middle to begin game two, moving to second when Melissa Gomes laid down a sacrifice bunt. Garcia went to third after Kristalyn Smith grounded out back to the pitcher and scored on a Jessie Richardson single back through the circle.
Western added a pair of runs in the sixth, when Richardson started a rally with a one-out double. Silver and Shelly Floyd drew walks before Tudor came through with a two-out, two-strike single up the middle.
Pinch-hitter Jennifer Mann ended Silver's bid for a perfect game with a one-out bunt single in the bottom of the sixth. Joni Woods walked and both runners moved up on a passed ball before Haven Shank's infield single ended the opportunity for a shutout. Brooke Luker singled in another run, but Silver induced a groundout to third from cleanup hitter Jamie Davison to get out of the jam.
Garcia tripled - Western's first in 23 games this season - to start the seventh and scored one out later when Smith successfully laid down a suicide squeeze bunt.
Silver went the distance for the sixth time this season, allowing two earned runs, a walk and four hits in 7.0 innings. The left-hander struck out four.
Garcia posted her fifth three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 with two runs. Richardson and Renita Pennington had two hits each to lead a Topper attack that collected eight in the contest - it was Pennington's first multiple-hit game of her career.
The second-game win was the Hilltoppers first in four tries in Evansville, though UE leads the all-time series, 5-2-1.
The Aces wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning of the opener. Emily Winters led off with a double and scored one out later when Luker doubled down the left-field line. After a walk to Bridget Broerman, Trish Wetzel singled to give UE a 2-0 advantage.
That would be all the support that Markle would need. The right-hander allowed just a fifth-inning single to Tudor in improving to 7-6. She walked two and struck out five in her ninth complete game of the season.
Winters added another hit in fifth to finish 2-for-3.
Rockie Castillo, who allowed only three baserunners after the opening inning, fell to 3-5. She walked one and fanned four.
WKU will next be in action Friday, when it plays host to the Hilltopper Classic. Western will face Western Illinois at 4 p.m. (CST) and Detroit at 6 p.m. on the opening day.
- WKU -
