March 16, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University softball team capped off an impressive week, in which the program one its 100th game, by defeating Loyola, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon to capture the third annual Hilltopper Classic championship. After a rocky start to the 2003 season that saw WKU open with a 5-10 record, the Hilltoppers have won eight straight despite a rash of injuries and stand at 13-10.
The injury-depleted Hilltoppers, playing without the services of sophomore Shelly Floyd, the team's leading hitter, and freshman Natasha Sevco, the team's starting shortstop, scored a two hard fought victories on Sunday. Western opened with a 9-6 win over Detroit in extra innings before edging past the Ramblers for the title, improving to 9-3 at the WKU Softball Field and 6-1 on Sundays.
Three Hilltoppers earned all-tournament honors for their play, led by sophomore Renita Pennington, who captured the Most Outstanding Player award after leading all players in batting average (.667), hits (16), runs scored (eight), total bases (16) and stolen bases (three).
Floyd and junior Allison Silver also grabbed spots on the all-tournament team. Floyd led the tournament in slugging percentage (.929) and on-base percentage (.688), tied for the tournament lead in RBI (eight), while finishing second in batting average (.643) and tying for second in runs scored (seven), despite sitting out the final two games.
Silver led the Hilltopper Classic in wins (four), earned run average (0.68) and innings pitched (20.2), while striking out 15 batters and holding opposing hitters to a .195 batting average.
The Hilltoppers will put their win streak on the line Wednesday, March 19, when they host a doubleheader with Purdue. The first game is set to begin at 3 p.m. (CST).
Western Kentucky 5, Loyola 4 (Championship Game)
Western received a boost from the long ball in the title game of the Hilltopper Classic, as senior Kristalyn Smith and junior Samantha Hansen both homered in the third inning to lead WKU to the 5-4 win. The Ramblers got to starter Adrienne Lathrop in the first inning, scoring three runs on three doubles and a homer through .2 innings.
Silver came on in relief and put an end to Loyola's scoring outburst, holding LUC scoreless for the next four innings while Western got back in the game. The Hilltopper rally began in the second inning, when WKU tallied two runs off RBI singles from Hansen and freshman Jennifer Ballance.
Loyola tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth, but was unable to get any closer, giving the Hilltoppers their eight-straight win and the tournament championship.
Western Kentucky 9, Detroit 6 (8 innings)
The Titans tallied three unearned runs in the bottom of the third off Lathrop to put Western on the ropes early on. The Western Kentucky comeback began in the fourth when Silver jumped started the offense with her first home run of the season. Then Smith tied the game at 3-all with a two-run double in the top of the fifth, scoring Pennington and senior Brandy Hawkins.
Detroit reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run homer from Katrina Klemp. Lathrop was pulled in favor of Silver after surrendering the two-run blast, but the frosh hurler atoned for her mistake in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer of her own, her second of the tournament. The two teams entered the eight inning with the score tied 6-6, but WKU managed to pull away by scoring three runs in the top of the inning, to advance to the title game. Silver went the final 3.2 innings to earn to earn her fifth win of the year.
All-Tournament Team
Renita Pennington, Western Kentucky *Most Outstanding Player
Allison Silver Western Kentucky
Shelly Floyd, Western Kentucky
Allison Scanlin, Loyola
Jenny Rice, Loyola
Tricia Oberhaus, Loyola
Anna Ollgaard, Detroit
Andrea Sikora, Detroit
LeAnna Crandell, Belmont
Bridget Schwoegler, Valparaiso
