TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The Western Kentucky University softball team (42-17) had a tied game with defending national champion and No. 10 national seed Alabama (44-13) going to the bottom sixth, but the Crimson Tide pulled out a run in the frame to seal a 7-6 win in game three of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional at Rhoads Stadium.
Senior Katrina Metoyer and junior Amanda Thomas had a pair of hits each for WKU, but it was the bat of Metoyer that sparked the Lady Topper offense, as she notched five RBI to tie a career high set in 2011.
With her second complete-game of the Regional, junior Emily Rousseau (25-7) gave up eight hits and four earned runs while walking three and striking out one. Alabama’s Jackie Traina started the game, as she gave up seven hits and all six runs in five innings of work. Leslie Jury (18-7) took the win after pitching the final two innings with one hit allowed.
The Crimson Tide struck for two early runs in their first outing on offense. After opening the inning with a single to third, Kayla Braud swiped the next two bags before tacking on the game’s first run on a throwing error by the Lady Toppers. The miscue placed Haylie McCleney on third after she walked and stole second. Jadyn Spencer then put down a two-out RBI single for the frame’s final run.
Metoyer started her damage in the next two innings to give WKU a 5-2 lead. In the second inning, the California product sent a full-count pitch deep over the left field wall to score freshman Bethany Oglesby and tie the game at two apiece. In her following at-bat in the third inning, Metoyer again worked a full count before delivering a three-RBI triple past a diving Andrea Hawkins in right field and boosted the Lady Toppers to a 5-2 advantage.
A four-run third inning for Alabama diminished the WKU favor, as the host team took a one-run lead at 6-5. Back-to-back singles and an error allowed the Tide to load the bases with no outs. A walk and sacrifice fly cut WKU’s lead to 5-4. A RBI single from Hawkins and sacrifice fly by Braud added Alabama’s final two runs.
Senior Mallorie Sulaski led off the sixth with a single up the middle to set up the tying run for WKU. After moving to second on a Sadler sacrifice bunt, freshman Brooke Holloway came in to pinch run and made her way home after a sophomore Preslie Cruce chopper up the middle.
Alabama answered in the bottom frame, as a sacrifice fly to center field by Molly Fichtner gave the Tide the win at 7-6.
WKU returns to the field at 6 p.m. to face the winner of USC Upstate and Jacksonville State in an elimination game. The winner moves on to the Regional championship game to face Alabama at 1 p.m. on Sunday with the “if necessary” game to follow.
