The day's opening scrimmage saw Shelby Nunn toss 5.0 innings, allowing just four hits with no runs and three strikeouts. Kelsey Aikey closed the contest with two innings of no-hit ball, registering a pair of strikeouts.
WKU struck in the first inning when Maddie Bowlds knocked a one-out double down the leftfield line before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Brittany Vaughn sent a fly ball to left field allowing Bowlds to score on a sacrifice fly.
After Jordan Vorbrink came around to score following a two-base shot to leftfield for a 2-0 lead, WKU took a 3-0 advantage after Cassidy Blackford crossed the plate as a pinch runner in the bottom of the fifth. WKU's big inning came a frame later when the squad scored six runs. Vaughn tripled and scored on the same play due to a Motlow C.C. throwing error before Kendall Smith blasted a two-run home run off the parking structure. Morgan McElroy and Paige Carter both doubled and scored in the inning while Rebekah Engelhardt took a walk and also came around to score.
Game two saw WKU Softball score multiple runs in all four innings the squad batted in. Vaughn started things off with a one-out single and Bowlds followed with another base hit. Engelhardt brought both teammates around to score on a double down the leftfield line.
Kelsey McGuffin produced the first of four second-inning hits with a home run to extend WKU's lead to 4-0. Tommi Stowers, Vaughn and Bowlds each registered hits in the frame as well.
The third inning opened with three-straight hits off the bats of Smith (single), McGuffin (single) and Carter (RBI-double) before Stowers recorded a sacrifice fly to score McGuffin. Action continued with singles by Jordan Thomas and Vaughn as WKU took a 9-0 lead.
The fourth, and final, inning saw WKU produce five more runs including another Smith homerun shot. Carter (walk), Stowers (fielder's choice) and Thomas (double) would all reach base and score in the frame, while Bowlds singled as well.
In the circle, Aikey got the nod for the start and continued her no-hit bid from the first game for another three innings. The sophomore struck out six of the nine batters she faced in the game-two start. Blackford closed the day in the circle for WKU and finished the game-two no hitter with the final two innings of work.
NOTEABLES
- Smith finished the day 4-for-4 at the plate with five RBI and four runs scored in addition to a walk.
- Carter went 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored in addition to a walk
- Aikey tossed 5.0 combined innings of no-hit ball with eight strikeouts
- Thomas finished 4-for-8 with two runs and three RBI
- 21 of WKU's 23 runs on the day came on an RBI hit
- WKU was 5-for-7 on the base paths as five different players stole a base
