From the circle, Katie Gardner walked and struck out three at the plate, while six different Hilltoppers picked up hits against the Blue Raider defense.
WKU 2, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4
Middle got moving first in front of their home crowd with a RBI single into the six-spot in the bottom of the second inning to gain a run lead.
In the fifth inning, MTSU picked up their largest lead of the ballgame after Laura Mealer's RBI single into center field that scored two. Later in the frame, she stole second and advanced home unearned on the Hilltopper error for a 4-0 lead.
Putting runs onto the board, Faith Hegh swung for right field trees on the 3-2 pitch, for her fifth home run of the season that scored two in the sixth inning.
Katie Gardner came back in the circle for the Red and White moving her record to 11-11. The Bowling Green native gave up only three earned runs off of six hits, walking three, and striking out three in 29 batters faced in Tennessee.
The Hilltoppers and Blue Raiders will meet back for the series finale tomorrow at Blue Raider Softball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
TOP STORYLINES
- Being a regional rival prior to Conference USA, the Hilltoppers and Blue Raiders are now 47-22 in WKU's favor.
- Head coach Amy Tudor earned her career 500-win mark in the Tops 9-0 win over Evansville. She is 512 all-time, while 295 as WKU's head coach.
- On the stat sheet, Faith Hegh is leading the Tops with a .403 batting average, while also owning 48 hits. Taylor Sanders leads with 39 RBIs and nine home runs and while Taylor Davis has 42 hits and stolen 16 bases.
- The Hilltoppers collectively hold 305 hits, 176 RBIs, a .299 batting average with 19 home runs.
- 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.
