"Nunn had great command and composure today," opened WKU head coach Amy Tudor. "We made all of the plays we needed to in order to shut it down defensively while creating enough offense both at the plate with hits and walks and stolen bases to score enough runs to win. Abby Newman got the call and stepped up both offensively and defensively. Good team toughness today in a chilly game."
WKU improved to 9-1 with Friday's win and is now off to the best start in program history through 10 games of a season. Dayton moves to 1-5 in its second weekend of action.
Just four pitches into the game, Dayton already had a runner on third base but Nunn's first strikeout of the game followed by a grounder to Jordan Ridge at second base got the Hilltoppers back to the dugout still tied at 0-0.
After drawing a one-out walk, Taylor Davis stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch but the Flyers would return the favor of stranding a runner 60 feet from home to end the first frame.
Nunn picked up two more strikeouts in the top of the second before WKU would scratch a run across in the bottom of the inning after Bailey Curry led the frame off with a walk. Curry would ultimately score on a throwing error by the Flyers for the only run WKU would need to clinch the win.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the third, Dayton saw its best chance of the game to get on the board but Nunn would fire off two more strikeouts and get help from Kennedy Foote for a flyball to right field.
In the bottom of the fourth, Randi Drinnon and Foote drew back-to-back two-out walks before Newman sent a single to right-center, pushing the score to 2-0. On the next play, Newman safely stole second while Foote scored on the throw to make the score 3-0.
Dayton's leadoff batter in the top of the fifth reached on an error before Drinnon teamed up with Ridge during the next at bat to throw out the first runner attempting to steal of her Hilltopper career.
WKU carried that momentum into the bottom of the frame, adding two more runs for the final 5-0 margin. Taylor Sanders led things off with a single before switching corners on a base hit from Ridge. From there, Ridge stole second and Sanders scored on the throw. A double from Brylee Hage would plate Ridge for the closing 5-0 reading.
Nunn would earn the win on the day, improving to a 6-1 record on the season in her fourth complete-game outing and first shutout of the season. The fifth-year righty struck out a season-best seven Flyers while allowing two hits by pitches and a walk. Dayton would strike for four hits on the game, with the final one coming back in the fifth inning.
COMPLETE WEEKEND SCHEDULE (UPDATED)
Friday
Noon – Ohio def. Illinois State, 16-4 [5]
2:30 p.m. – WKU def. Dayton, 5-0
Saturday
10 a.m. – Dayton vs. Ohio
12:30 p.m. – Ohio at WKU
3 p.m. – Illinois State at WKU
5:30 p.m. – Ohio vs. Dayton
Sunday
10 a.m. – Dayton vs. Illinois State
12:30 p.m. – Ohio at WKU
3 p.m. – Dayton at WKU
* All games involving WKU will be streamed despite the schedule changes this weekend*
TOP STORYLINES
- Shelby Nunn is up to 21 complete games across her career and six solo complete-game shutouts (13 in total).
- Abby Newman posted the first multi-hit game of her young Hilltopper career and first RBI.
- Brylee Hage recorded the 13th multi-hit game of her career, third of the season.
- Randi Drinnon caught the first runner attempting to steal of her career in Friday's game.
- WKU Softball has now faced off against Dayton six times in program history and owns a 6-0 lead in the all-time series.
- WKU's 5-0 win over Dayton on Friday was its first shut out win of the 2022 campaign.
- Coach Tudor enters her 18th season as a head coach – ninth on The Hill – and owns a 460-365-2 career coaching record.
