"We compete well today," shared WKU head coach Amy Tudor. "Our offense was strong with quality at bats and was able to strike in different ways."
Through the first two innings of Game 2, neither dugout registered a hit, which would extend through the third frame for FIU as well. For the Hilltoppers however, WKU would strike for two hits and two runs in the bottom of the third.
In WKU's first occurrence with multiple runners on base, the Hilltoppers took advantage. Abby Newman led the inning off with a walk before Taylor Davis reached on an error. From there, Brylee Hage stepped up and sent a double to the left field corner to plate Newman and move Davis to third. Next up, Taylor Sanders reached on a fielder's choice that saw both runners reach safely. With one out, Jordan Ridge stepped into the box and connected for a base hit that scored Davis for a 2-0 Hilltopper lead.
WKU added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth, sending eight batters to the plate. Lineup spots 1-4 would all produce hits after Newman drew a two-out walk to turn the order over. Davis singled up the middle to score Newman, Hage sent a single through the right side to plate Webster and Sanders struck for a double off third base to plate both runners for the 6-0 lead.
The Hilltoppers struck one more time in the bottom of the fifth as Webster delivered a bases-loaded RBI groundout for the 7-0 WKU lead.
Just like the series-opener, however, FIU rallied in the top of the sixth inning. The Panthers would strike for a run on a single through the right side before Kelsie Houchens relieved Katie Gardner in the circle with the bases loaded and no outs. She'd induce a flyout before FIU struck for a three-run homer to pull within 7-4. Houchens and the infield responded with a foul flyout and a grounder to return to the dugout with their lead still intact.
Brylee Hage connected for her third hit of the game to lead off the bottom of the sixth and would steal second base before Bailey Curry and Maddie Bowlds both drew walks. All three would end up stranded
FIU added one more run in the top of the seventh for the final 7-5 margin but Houchens would close out the game in her first Conference USA appearance.
Gardner earned the win for the second-straight day, improving to 7-2 on the season. In 5.0+ innings of work, Gardner allowed four hits, three runs and two walks while striking out four Panthers. In her two innings of relief work, Houchens allowed three hits and two FIU runs.
WKU improved to 24-7 on the season with the win and is now 8-3 in Conference USA play. FIU fell to 1-7 in league play with the loss and 15-19 overall.
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU is now 35-35 all-time against FIU. With the win, the Hilltoppers are now 12-15 against the Panthers when playing in Bowling Green.
- Coach Tudor is in her 18th season as a head coach – ninth on The Hill – and owns a 475-370-2 career coaching record.
- WKU is now 18-1 when scoring first in a game.
- The Hilltoppers are 15-1 when playing at the WKU Softball Complex this season.
- Redshirt-freshman pitcher Kelsie Houchens made her Conference USA debut with two innings of no-decision relief work.
- Brylee Hage delivered a three-hit performance – her first of the season and fourth of her career. She's up to 11 multi-hit outings on the 2022 campaign.
- Brylee Hage and Taylor Sanders each registered a pair of RBI in the win, marking the fourth and eighth multi-RBI outings, respectively, by the duo.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball.
