AUBURN, Ala. - On Valentine’s Day, the WKU softball team (4-2) defeated Furman (2-2) 9-1 in five innings and fell to Auburn (9-1) in extra innings, 5-2, during the Auburn University Tiger Invitational.
After allowing Furman to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Lady Toppers started the day off right posting three runs in the bottom of the innings to jump out to a 3-1 lead. Junior Jamie Hennis began the game for WKU reaching third base after two Furman errors and tied the game off a Lindsay Antone single. With the score tied 1-1, junior Brooke Reed, who reached first after being hit by a pitch, crossed the plate to give WKU their first lead after a wild pitch by Furman pitcher Hannah Bradley. After stealing second, Antone advanced to third after the wild pitch and scored after senior Terri Ellingsworth recorded her first RBI of the day, a sacrifice fly to center field.
With the score tied 3-1 through three innings, WKU added five more runs in the fourth inning. Junior Shannon Smith led things off for the Lady Topper reaching first base after she was hit by a pitch. After sophomore Elizabeth Ferrell came in to pinch run, she reached second after a sacrifce bunt by junior Rachelle Boucher. On the next play, Ferrell scored WKU’s fourth run of the day after senior Sam Cronk hit her second double of the day. But, the Lady Toppers weren’t done there, and after a Furman pitching change, a Reed walk, and a Furman illegal pitch, both Cronk and Reed scored after Antone posted the another double for WKU. On the next at bat, senior Rebecca Horesky made it a seven run lead for the Lady Toppers after she hit her first homerun of the season over the center field wall to give WKU a 8-1 advantage.
After retiring Furman in the top of the fifth, the Lady Toppers ended the game in the bottom of the inning after sophomore Sara Williams hit her first double of the season and scored sophomore Brittney Perry from second base. Perry was pinch running for junior Kelsey McCauley who reached second off a single and throwing error by Furman.
WKU finished the first game of the day with nine runs off eight hits. Additionally, the Lady Toppers collected eight RBI, three doubles and one homerun. WKU was led in the game by Antone who recorded three hits, three RBI and scored a win in the win. Senior pitcher, Jennifer Kempf (2-1), finished the day after pitching five innings and allowing only one run off three hits.
Against Auburn, the Lady Toppers and Tigers battled defensively keeping each other scoreless through two innings. In the third inning, Auburn struck first scoring the first run of the game after Morgan Murphy hit a homerun over the centerfield wall to give Auburn a 1-0 lead. With the score still 1-0, WKU finally got on the board in the fifth inning when the Lady Toppers scored two runs in the top of the inning.
The Lady Toppers scored their first run of the day Antone hit a double that scored Reed who had reached first base off a single earlier in the inning. Antone then went on to score WKU’s second run off a Ellingsworth double that gave WKU a 2-1 lead heading into the sixth inning.
Auburn tied things up in the bottom of the sixth inning after Lauren Guzman hit a sacrifice fly that scored Kyndall White, who reached base off a double to start off the inning.
In extra innings, WKU scored a run to go ahead 3-2 after McCauley, who started the inning on second base, scored after a Auburn error that allowed junior Rachelle Boucher to reach first base. But, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Auburn’s Elizabeth Eisterhold hit a three-run homer to secure the win for the Tigers.
WKU finished the game with three runs on seven hits. Senior pitcher Ryan Rogge (2-1) gave up nine hits and walked three while striking out two. The Lady Toppers continue action tomorrow on the final day of the Tiger Invitational when they battle Eastern Kentucky at 11:30 a.m.
