"What heart, what fight and so much toughness," WKU head coach Amy Tudor began following the Hilltoppers' two-win day. "Our fans were great; they traveled so well, and it's been awesome to have them in the stands. We were gritty today; obviously it was really hot. I'm really proud of the performances by our pitchers, defense and hitters. I thought we did a really good job today."
With the wins, WKU improved to 38-12 across the 2022 campaign and sent both Marshall (35-18) and Louisiana Tech (39-20) home empty-handed. Across the last two seasons, WKU is now 8-1 when playing in postseason elimination games when counting conference and NCAA tournaments.
The Hilltoppers outscored their Friday opposition, 14-6, racking up 19 hits across the wins. WKU also got a pair of complete-game performances from its pair of starting pitchers in Shelby Nunn (vs. Marshall) and Katie Gardner (vs. Louisiana Tech).
WKU earned a spot in Saturday's championship game against No. 2 seed and tournament host, North Texas. First pitch is slated for 12:06 p.m. CT and will air on CBS Sports Network from Lovelace Stadium.
GAME 49: [3] WKU 9, [4] MARSHALL 5
The Hilltoppers' third game in Denton open just like the second, a 5-0 lead after the first trip to the plate and an 8-0 advantage after two frames.
WKU went through the order in its first trip to the plate with four hits including a three-run home run from Bailey Curry. Jordan Ridge and Randi Drinnon both drove in runs as well.
In the bottom of the second, eight more Hilltoppers made a plate appearance. Ridge connected for a two-RBI double before Curry added an RBI single for the 8-0 lead.
Marshall stuck around, striking for a run in the third and then two in each of the fourth and sixth innings to pull within 8-5.
After the Thundering Herd pulled within three, Maddie Bowlds connected for a single on the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the frame. On the next pitch, Ridge laid down a sacrifice bunt and would reach safely on an error while Bowlds wheeled around from first to score and push the lead to 9-5.
Shelby Nunn would go the distance for the win and climb to 23-6 on the season with her 16th complete-game outing of the year.
Hage, Ridge and Curry all recorded two hits in the win while Ridge and Curry each drove in two RBI as well.
Hage also drew two walks to reach base in all four plate appearances. She went on to steal second all four times to set a Conference USA Tournament game record. Four stolen bases also tied the Hilltopper single-game record, set twice by Olivia Watkins during the 2014 campaign.
GAME 50: [3] WKU 5, [1] LOUISIANA TECH 1
WKU Softball picked up its second elimination game win of the day with a 5-1 victory over top-seeded Louisiana Tech to eliminate the Lady Techsters from the C-USA Tournament.
The Hilltoppers struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second and would never trail in the game. In the top of the second, Taylor Sanders sent the first pitch of the inning out of the park for her third home run of the tournament to give the Tops a lead.
In the top of the third, WKU added two more runs for a 3-0 advantage. Davis got the Tops started with a two-out single before scoring from first on a double from Bowlds. From there, Ridge connected for WKU's second double in as many pitches to trade places with Bowlds. Louisiana Tech would throw just 11 pitches in the frame as WKU pushed its lead to 3-0.
The Lady Techsters got on the board in the bottom of the field with an RBI fielder's choice. LA Tech would go on to load the bases with just one out but TJ Webster snagged a liner out of the air and in the same motion stepped on second base to turn an unassisted double play and end the threat.
WKU got that run back in its next trip to the plate. With two outs, Kennedy Foote stepped into the box and connected for the first home run of her collegiate career to give WKU a 4-1 lead.
Katie Gardner and the Hilltopper defense retired the Lady Techsters in order in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings to maintain the 4-1 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Ridge delivered her second double of the game and would take third on a fly out. As Drinnon drew a four-pitch walk, the last toss would end up at the backstop and allow Ridge to score to push WKU's lead to 5-1.
Louisiana Tech would threaten again in the bottom of the sixth with two on and one out. Webster would start the Tops' second double play of the game by fielding a grounder, stepping on second and firing to Bowlds at first to end the inning.
Gardner would pick up all three outs via strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh with one walk mixed in. The junior pitcher struck out eight Lady Techsters in the win and improved to 11-5 across the season. Gardner allowed just three hits across the complete-game effort.
Bowlds, Ridge and Foote all registered two-hit games.
TOP STORYLINES
- Coach Tudor is in her 18th season as a head coach – ninth on The Hill – and owns a 490-374-2 career coaching record, which includes a 272-170-1 mark at WKU.
- With Friday's appearance, Nunn continues to add to her WKU program record for pitching appearances at 148.
- Sanders' RBI brought her up to 54 on season – continuing to add to her new single-season program record for WKU Softball. She now owns a home run on all three days of the C-USA Tournament.
- Louisiana Tech sent the Hilltoppers home from the 2017 and 2018 Conference USA Tournaments – WKU finally got to return the favor.
- WKU's victory over Louisiana Tech was the Tops' first win over the Lady Techsters since an 8-6 win from Oxford, Miss., in 2011.
- The Hilltoppers ended Marshall's season and would finish 3-1 against the Thundering Herd in 2022.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball.
