March 8, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - The Western Kentucky softball team was more than hospitable to their guests on the first day of the Big Red Blast today in Bowling Green, Ky., allowing the visitors to escape WKU Softball Field with a pair of victories, dropping the Hilltoppers to 5-10 on the season. Eastern Illinois slipped by Western 5-4 in WKU's first action of the day, despite a two-run homer from sophomore Shelly Floyd, her fifth of the season. Head coach Leslie Phelan's squad didn't fare any better in their second game of the day, falling to East Tennessee State, 6-2.
Eastern Illinois 5, Western Kentucky 4
The Panthers got to starting pitcher Natasha Sevco early on, knocking the freshman out of the game in the third inning after surrendering four runs, a deficit WKU would never recover from. The Hilltoppers actually led 3-2 after two innings, thanks in part to Floyd's two-run blast in the first inning, but were never able to retake command after falling behind 4-3. Floyd's home run gave her five for the season, one shy of teammate Jessie Richardson's school-record of six.
Junior co-captain Allison Silver allowed just one run over five innings in relief of Sevco, but did not receive the run support needed to mount a comeback. Junior Riley Garcia recorded her first three-hit game of the season in the loss, the 12th of her collegiate career.
East Tennessee State 6, Western Kentucky 2
ETSU's Tiffany McVay pitched a complete game five hitter, surrendering just one earned run as the Bucs cruised to a 6-2 victory this afternoon. Western's defense surrendered four unearned runs over the first two innings, while the offense stranded 10 runners, giving McVay more than enough of a cushion to earn her second win of the year.
Freshman Adrienne Lathrop (4-2) pitched well after escaping the first two innings, allowing just two earned runs over the course of the game, while striking out a career high seven batters. Silver provided the sole high point for the Hilltoppers, going 2-2 at the plate with an RBI and two doubles to the gap. Garcia added a base hit to push her hit streak to eight games.
The Hilltoppers return to action tomorrow with a pair of games on the tournament's final day, playing host to Western Illinois at 1 p.m. (CST) and Indiana State at 5 p.m. The Westerwinds will enter the second day of action with a 2-0 record in the Big Red Blast, while the Sycamores dropped both of their games on Saturday.
- WKU -
