Brylee Hage had her second big day in a row at the plate during the Campbell match up and brought in the final two runs to largen the gap on the board. TJ Webster also was perfect at the plate in the first doubleheader, going two-for-two in the afternoon. Kennedy Foote and Taylor Davis both pulled in RBIs in the late afternoon game with USC.
WKU 3, CAMPBELL 0
Right away in the bottom of the first, Taylor Sanders hit a single up the middle, collecting her ninth RBI of the season, after sending Taylor Davis across the plate.
On defense, pitcher Kelsie Houchens escaped a one-out, runners in scoring position, keeping the Camels scoreless. The nine-hole hitter hit a triple down the middle, while the lead off hit an infield fielder's choice then stole second base. Houchens hit the Camels batter with a 2-2 count strikeout swinging, while the next up grounded out to shortstop TJ Webster to end the inning.
The Hilltoppers collected two more runs on the board in the fourth inning, as Brylee Hage went two-for-three on the afternoon, and hit a double to left-center and picking up two RBIs in the process.
In the circle, Houchens all seven innings, giving up two hits, walking one, and pitching six strikeouts across the plate, posing an ERA of 2.61 in the first game.
WKU 2, SOUTH CAROLINA 11
Getting the jump in the opening frame, South Carolina takes four on starter Katie Gardner, picking up four runs off of four hits with a runner left on the bag to open up the match up.
In the top of two, Kelsey Schmidt singled out to center field on the full count. Freshman Addy Edgmon later doubled out to right-center, advancing Schmidt to third base, while Kennedy Foote sent her home off of a sacrifice-fly to earn a run on the board.
Continuing runs on the board, eight-spot hitter Taylor Davis knocked in an infield single and collected another RBI to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
A two-run single through the right side kicked off the scoring for the Gamecocks in the second inning, Curran later came in for relief for Gardner in the circle. Collecting seven runs in total during the frame, USC hit two back-to-back home runs, including a grand slam.
Freshman right-hander Maddy Wood came during the fourth inning and wrapped up the game, putting away all three up to the plate.
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU Softball now holds a 4-0 all-time record over the Campbell Camels, while also posting a 0-3 record against South Carolina.
- The Hilltoppers will face six Power Five teams in seven games this season. The Tops saw Minnesota and Michigan last weekend, South Carolina was the first from the SEC.
- Head coach Amy Tudor is six wins away from her career 500-win mark. She owns 275 of those wins as the head coach at WKU.
- The Hilltoppers open their home slate next weekend, starting Friday Feb. 24 where WKU will host the annual Hilltopper Classic Tournament at the WKU Softball Complex.
- On the stat sheet, Brylee Hage is leading the tops with a .484 batting average, while also collecting 13 hits on the season. Taylor Sanders holds nine RBIs for 2023, leading WKU.
- The Hilltoppers ended the 2022 season collectively with 38 home runs, 240 RBI, and a .303 batting average from the dugout.
- In the Conference USA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hilltoppers were predicted to finish second in C-USA, while fifth-year outfielder Taylor Davis was named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball, and Facebook/WKUSoftball.
