"We showed some good things today and we look to build on our small successes," shared head coach Amy Tudor."
Louisville moved to 9-7 on the season with today's wins and has concluded its weekend schedule. Valpo fell to 4-8 with the pair of losses.
WKU and Valpo's Sunday contest has been moved up to noon CT/1 p.m. ET due to rain in the forecast.
GAME 13 – WKU VS. VALPO
WKU def. Valpo, 8-5
Paige Carter connected for a leadoff home run to get Saturday action opened against Valpo and the Hilltoppers would lead the rest of the way. Carter's homer was her fourth of the season.
"We started the game great offensively by putting up several runs," continued Tudor. "Carter set the tone with her leadoff homerun and everyone else followed. Carter and Smith had great offensive games. Nunn and Gardner held Valpo off in the circle while Aikey shut the door."
The Hilltoppers would go on to plate five more runs their next trip to the plate, ultimately sending eight batters to the box for an appearance. Maddie Bowlds reached on an error to get things going before TJ Webster, Jordan Thomas, Kennedy Sullivan and Kendall Smith each registered base hits. Thomas' knock drove in two runs before Smith brought in one more.
Webster would score again in the bottom of the sixth on a double from Carter and Smith would come around to score in the top of the seventh after leading off the frame with a double. Princess Valencia plated Smith during a pinch-hit at bat.
Shelby Nunn would earn the win in the circle after 4.2 innings of three-hit, three-run ball. She finished with four strikeouts against three walks en route to her fourth win of the season.
Katie Gardner would work 1.1+ innings in relief and struck out a pair before Kelsey Aikey would inherit a two-on, no-outs situation in the bottom of the seventh with the Tops ahead 8-5. The redshirt-senior would need just 14 pitches – 11 strikes – to strike out the next three Valpo batters and secure the win for the Hilltoppers. The save was her second of the season and 17th of her career.
GAME 14 – WKU AT LOUISVILLE
Louisville def. WKU, 3-0
Drawing the start in the circle against the Cardinals, Aikey sat down the first six Louisville batters she faced, picking up three strikeouts along the way. The only time the hosts would end up scoring was the third frame when Louisville plated all three of its runs, taking advantage of a pair of hits, two fielders' choices and a walk.
Aikey would finish with six strikeouts against three runs, three walks and four hits as she moved to 2-4. The senior has shouldered the loss in all three contests against Power 5 squads this season.
"Aikey threw a great game," said Tudor about the senior's effort against Louisville. "We just could not push runs across. We out-hit Louisville and had more runners on but unfortunately, we didn't capitalize. Bowlds had a great day at the plate for us."
WKU saw Bowlds and Taylor Davis each deliver two-hit games against Louisville. Sullivan accounted for the Tops' fifth hit in the game.
The Hilltoppers would end up stranding runners on base in each of the first six innings of play with a total of 10 runners stranded. Seven of those runners would end up in scoring position.
COMING UP
Red & Black Challenge | Ulmer Stadium | Louisville, Ky.
- Sunday, March 14 – vs. Valpo (Noon p.m.)
NOTES & RECORDS
- Head Coach Amy Tudor is in her 17th season as a head coach – eighth on The Hill – this season with a career record of 428-352-2.
- WKU is now 3-19 all-time against Louisville with Saturday's loss in Ulmer Stadium.
- The Hilltoppers have faced three Power 5 squads this season – Mississippi State twice and now Louisville – but are 0-3 against them.
- Paige Carter connected for a homerun to lead off a game for the second time this season. She also did so against Indiana State on Feb. 27. The homer was her fourth of the season.
- Carter finished 3-for-3 in the opening game, recording both a home run and a double. She now owns five three-hit games this season and six multi-hit games on the year.
- Kelsey Aikey came in during the bottom of the seventh against Valpo and secured her second save of the season and 17th of her career. That mark gives her sole possession of the second-most among active NCAA Division I pitchers and continues to extend the school record she already owns.
- Maddie Bowlds turned in a pair of hits including a double in game two. She now owns four multi-hit efforts on the season.
- Taylor Davis also had a two-hit game, her third of the year.
- In the most recent RPI rankings (March 2020), WKU came in at No. 31 while Louisville is at 62 and Valpo ranks 170th.
How to Follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball
