April 15, 2003
Richmond, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University softball team (21-23) traveled across the Commonwealth of Kentucky today to take on in-state rival Eastern Kentucky (18-14). The Colonels took game one as Jonelle Csora fanned 13 Hilltoppers, but Western rebounded with a 7-2 win in game two.
WKU returns to action Friday and Saturday with four games against Sun Belt Conference-foe New Mexico State. The Hilltoppers (1-3) in the SBC will be looking to move up in the conference standings.
Eastern Kentucky 4, Western Kentucky 0 (Game 1)
Freshman Adrienne Lathrop (10-7) dropped her third straight decision as the Hilltoppers struck out a season-high 13 times, to help Eastern Kentucky pick up a 4-0 win. The game was a classic pitcher's duel for the first four innings, but the Colonels used a big fifth inning to improve to 18-13.
Csora (11-6) had the Hilltoppers' number from the start. The senior hurler struck out 10 of the first 13 batters she faced, allowing only a double to senior Kristalyn Smith, while striking out the side in both the second and third innings. Csora, who holds the EKU record for strikeouts in a game (15), fanned 13 batters while allowing three base hits and no walks to earn her 11th win of the season.
Freshman Adrienne Lathrop kept up her part of the pitcher's duel for the first four innings, but lost both her no-hitter and her shutout in the bottom of the fifth. EKU's Ashley Totten broke up the no-hitter with a base hit and later scored off a two-run single from Jennifer Christiansen. The Colonels went on to plate four runs off four hits before freshman Natahsa Sevco came on in relief and escaped a bases-loaded jam by recording the final out of the inning.
Eastern would not score again, but the Hilltoppers were unable to do any damage against Csora. Juniors Allison Silver and Riley Garcia joined Smith as the only WKU players to pick up a hit against Csora.
Western Kentucky 7, Eastern Kentucky 2 (Game 2)
Western rebounded in the second installment, overcoming an early 2-0 first-inning deficit to help Silver even her record at 11-11. The junior co-captain scattered four hits and walked none, while allowing two unearned runs in the win.
The Colonels used smart baserunning and defensive miscues by the Hilltoppers to plate two unearned runs in the bottom of the first. EKU stole three bases and had two runners reach on an error to take an early 2-0 lead in the second game.
Western finally came to life in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs off three hits and three errors by the EKU defense. Garcia and sophomore Renita Pennington both reached base and found themselves in scoring position with no outs. A single and a subsequent error by EKU's second baseman, Bethany Herrington, allowed both runners to score and tie the game at 2-all. WKU pushed across two more runs in the inning, one off an RBI groundout by Silver, to take a 4-2 lead.
Sophomore Dana Rey tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh with a solo shot to left field, her fifth homer of the season. Up 5-2 at that point, the Hilltoppers tallied two more runs in the inning, with one coming off an RBI single from Lathrop.
- WKU -
