MURFREESBORO, Tenn.— The WKU softball team (30-12, 15-5) claimed the Conference USA Regular-Season title on Saturday after winning game one at Middle Tennessee (22-28, 5-18) behind a Miranda Kramer no-no.
The Lady Toppers were picked to finish fifth in the C-USA Preseason Poll, now coming out on top heading into next week's C-USA Championship in Miami, Fla., beginning May 7. WKU has secured six league series this season while sweeping two of them.
It's the second regular-season title in WKU's 16-year history, winning the 2013 Sun Belt Conference championship with a 20-3 league record. The team went on to earn an at-large bid and appear in its first-ever NCAA Regional, making it to the championship game and finishing the season with a 43-18 record.
The Lady Toppers will go for its seventh league series with a rubber match on Sunday at noon CT against the Blue Raiders. Live video and stats are available at GoBlueRaiders.com.
GAME ONE—WKU 3, Middle Tennessee 0
Kramer tossed her third no-hitter of the season and her career in game one's 3-0 win, recording the 10th no-hitter in school history and fifth under second-year head coach Amy Tudor. The Iowa native threw 13 strikeouts in the game while allowing baserunners from a walk and two hit by pitches. She is the only pitcher in program history to toss three no-hitters in a Lady Topper uniform.
Larissa Franklin went 3-for-4 at the plate while Shawna Sadler posted a pair of hits in the contest. As a team, WKU totaled nine hits while taking advantage of three Blue Raider errors.
WKU put up a run in each of the first two innings, as Franklin started the game with a single. Moving to third on a Kayti Hanson sacrifice bunt and illegal pitch, Franklin stole home for the game's first run. In the second, back-to-back errors put Lexie Norfleet on third and allowed the freshman to score on a RBI single to left from Franklin.
A two-out walk to Dani Pugh in the fifth set up the final run for the Lady Toppers. A Brooke Holloway hit put Pugh in scoring position for Norfleet's RBI single on the right field line.
GAME TWO—Middle Tennessee 6, WKU 1
The Blue Raiders took the day's final game 6-1 using a four-run second frame to lift them to victory.
MT's Megan Chocallo (5-5) earned the win with a complete game effort, allowing just four hits and a walk. Janna Scheff (4-3) took the loss, going 1.1 innings with four hits, two walks and a strikeout. Hannah Parker came in to relieve the final 4.2 frames, giving up five hits, two runs and two strikeouts.
The Blue Raiders used the long ball to pull ahead 5-0 after three innings. Megan Griffith knocked a grand slam over center field to put the home team up 4-0 in the second before Carlie Jenkins added a solo shot to open the third.
MT then added a run in the fourth after back-to-back hits put runners on and then advanced on a sacrifice hit. A fielder's choice in the next at-bat scored Kiarra Freeman and make the score 6-0.
WKU didn't go down without a fight, as Shawna Sadler started the sixth with a double off the center field wall. The senior moved to third on a Hanson groundout before bringing in the lone run after an error on Chocallo.
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