Brylee Hage, Taylor Davis, and Faith Hegh all picked up three hits on the day. As a unit, the Hilltoppers batted .286 against Central Michigan, before picking up speed against the Redbirds with .423 at the plate. Kelsie Houchens and Katie Gardner both contained six innings of production from the circle, with a 5+ strikeout night for Gardner.
WKU 2, CENTRAL MICHGIAN 1
In a bizarre fashion of advancing the Chippewas' leadoff hitter after being hit by a pitch at the plate, CMU scored in the first inning, though groundouts and a after a wild pitch over the plate, all while hitless.
Bats were moving by the fourth inning in Bowling Green. Catcher Randi Drinnon singled up the middle before designated hitter Faith Hegh sent Drinnon's pinch runner, Kasia Parks to second after a hit into left field. After a groundout from Kelsey Schmidt that advanced runners, freshman outfielder Addy Edgmon flied out left, sending Parks home and getting the Tops on the board.
The season's RBIs leader, Taylor Sanders collected her tenth RBI on the year with a sac-fly into right field, tagging up TJ Webster, after she singled down the left field line. Webster advanced to third after Brylee Hage singled back to the pitcher's circle, and Taylor Davis sacrificed bunted on the left side.
In the circle, Houchens left the Chippewas hitless through the seventh inning. She worked through 6.1 innings, only earning one run off of one hit with a strikeout on the board.
WKU 6, ILLINOIS STATE 0
Taylor Sanders gained momentum on the evening with a single into right, sending Brylee Hage home who led off the third inning with a single into the same spot. Drinnon carried out scoring in the inning, flying out into center field and sending Davis who tagged up on the bag.
In a big sixth inning to earn some insurance runs, Kennedy Foote and Webster hit back-to-back doubles to mark themselves on second and third base. Hage came in with a single up the middle to score Foote, while Davis found the gap in left field sending Webster across the plate.
Sanders once again picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly, before Hegh singled and Illinois State made a change in the circle. A wild pitch from the Redbirds' Annie Volkers, Davis headed home and the Hilltoppers' picked up four more on the board with their last time at-bat of the night.
Marking another stellar six innings in the circle, senior Katie Gardner got the go from head coach Amy Tudor for the Tops' nightcap at the field. The Bowling Green native went through scoreless, only claiming three hits, walking two, and throwing eight strikeouts – leading the Hilltopper pitching staff with 36 on the season.
The Hilltoppers' are back in action tomorrow afternoon in Bowling Green to face Central Michigan at 12:30 p.m. and Jacksonville State at 3 p.m. for the second day of the Hilltopper Classic.
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU Softball now holds a perfect 2-0 all-time record over Central Michigan, while the Tops now hold the upper hand 7-6 record against Illinois State.
- Last Hilltopper Classic, the Hilltoppers' swept every opponent, run-ruling Central Michigan and Bellarmine in Bowling Green.
- Head coach Amy Tudor is four wins away from her career 500-win mark. She owns 279 of those wins as the head coach at WKU.
- The Hilltoppers stay at home next weekend, WKU will host the annual Hilltopper Spring Fling Tournament at the WKU Softball Complex.
- On the stat sheet, Brylee Hage is leading the tops with a .462 batting average, while also collecting 18 hits on the season and Taylor Sanders notches 12 RBIs and three home runs for 2023.
- 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.
