Hilltopper Pitchers Dominate in Circle as Win Streak Grows to Eight

Saturday, March 2

Birmingham, Ala.

2 p.m. CT

Western Kentucky University

Jackson State

Kennedy Sullivan Kendall Smith Amy Tudor team

Hilltopper Pitchers Dominate in Circle as Win Streak Grows to Eight

3/2/2019 11:07:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score Samford Invite stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A combined one-hit shutout by Shelby Nunn and Kelsey Aikey was followed up with a career-high 17-strikeout gem off the arm of Kennedy Sullivan as WKU Softball picked up two more wins from the Samford Invitational. The day's first contest saw WKU win 4-0 over Jackson State (2-19) before the Hilltoppers took care of weekend host Samford (6-15), 8-1. Two wins extended the Red and White's win streak to eight straight while the squad improved to 13-2 on the 2019 campaign.

"I felt like our circle was strong all weekend," head coach Amy Tudor opened. "All three of our pitchers did an excellent job and when your circle is strong, your team is strong. It helps give the offense some breathing room and I thought we did a great job in all facets of the game."

Sullivan's 17-strikeout performance came a day after the freshman tossed a no hitter against Evansville and less than a week after a 16-strikeout outing against Butler. Seventeen punchouts is the fifth-most ever recorded by a Hilltopper and the second-most ever registered in a regulation-length game.

Across the team's three games from Birmingham on the weekend, the pitching staff gave up just one run, three hits and five walks while posting a collective 35 strikeouts.

GAME 1: WKU 4, JACKSON STATE 0

WKU Softball rode a combined one-hitter from Shelby Nunn and Kelsey Aikey to a 4-0 victory over Jackson State to open play on Saturday from the Samford Invitational. Nunn worked 5.0 innings while allowing just one hit with no walks and five strikeouts to move to 3-0 on the season. Aikey worked the game's final two frame, racking up five punchouts as well including four in the top of the seventh after a dropped third strike.

Jordan Vorbrink led off the bottom of the third with a double to the right-center gap before Jordan Thomas sent a single to right field to bring her home for the 1-0 WKU lead. Kendall Smith followed suit in the bottom of the fourth with another double before Tommi Stowers drew a walk. Paige Carter moved the runners on an RBI groundout to short stop before Sullivan did that same thing to push the Hilltoppers' lead to 3-0.

Shannon Plese led off the bottom of the sixth by beating out a bunt single before stealing second and third base and ultimately scoring on a wild pitch for the final 4-0 decision.

"Winning is contagious," Tudor said of the day's opening win. "Our attitudes are great at the plate, in the field and even in the dugout and having that healthy environment makes all the difference in the world. All weekend, we saw a great team effort. I'm confident in us at the plate, in the field and from the circle."

GAME 2: WKU 8, SAMFORD 1

The Hilltoppers took care of business in their first trip to the plate in the day's second tilt from the Samford Softball Field. Thomas led things off with a walk in her first of two plate appearances in the frame before moving all the way around to third when Rebekah Engelhardt reached second after a base hit and throwing error. During Plese's at bat, both base runners advanced 60 feet on a wild pitch, giving the Red and White a 1-0 lead with no outs. From there, Plese reached safely on a fielder's choice that saw Engelhardt score. Smith followed with a double before Stowers walked to load the bases. Paige Carter and Kennedy Sullivan each followed with sacrifice flies to advance all runners a bag and give WKU a 4-0 lead. Taylor Davis kept thing rolling with a two-out RBI base hit up the middle to plate Stowers for the fifth run of the frame.

Sullivan picked up a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the first – as she did in every frame – while allowing a base hit and a walk in the frame. The rookie got the Hilltoppers back to the dugout with a swinging strikeout, beginning a stretch of six-straight batters retired with a punchout. The strikeout also began a stretch of 12-consecutive Samford batters retired by Sullivan and the Hilltopper defense before the Bulldogs were able to draw a walk.

By the end of the fourth inning, Sullivan had struck out every Samford batter at least once – including a Bulldog pinch hitter. Six of Samford's batters were Sullivan strikeout victims at least twice.

WKU added a single tally in the top of the third after Thomas brought Carter home with a sacrifice fly. The Red and White went up 7-0 in the top of the sixth after Engelhardt connected for her third home run of the season with a no-doubter to straight-away center

Carter reached base with a walk in WKU's final trip to the plate before Sullivan sent a double down the left line to score Carter all the way from first for the final 8-1 decision.

Samford's lone run came in the bottom of the sixth when the Bulldogs' three-hole hitter hit a solo home run. The knock was the hosts' second of two hits in the game.

Sullivan finished with 17 strikeouts against just two walks while facing 26 Samford batters in the contest. Her 16-strikeout effort was the most ever by a freshman and today's outing added to it.

With an overall record of 13-2, the Hilltoppers are off to the best start in program history. WKU's .867 win percentage is the best in Conference USA through the first four weekends of play.

"I really think this team cares about each other," Tudor shared when asked about what makes this team so special. "We have all facets of the game covered with this squad. We have a strong pitching staff, people that produce offense, people that fill in roles nicely. When you can succeed in all three parts of the game, you give yourself a really good chance to win. It starts with caring about your teammates though and putting in effort outside of game day and this team has worked really hard."

NEXT GAME: With the Sunday slate of the Samford Invite cancelled, WKU will be back in action next weekend from Kennesaw, Ga., where the Hilltoppers will compete in the Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament.

How to Follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball.