A tough night in both pitching and hitting, WKU only came out with two hits on the board, while Kelsie Houchens started off the night, throwing a strikeout, before freshman Maddy Wood came in for relief retiring three at the plate.
WKU 0, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 6
WKU held the Owls off until a solo shot over the right-center field wall on the first pitch of the bottom of the second inning, drove in an early 1-0 lead for FAU.
Florida Atlantic continued their run in the third: a two-run single into right field gained leverage in on the board for the named home team.
The game was paused for 80 minutes as a stormfront came through Dr. Billy Bundrick Field, causing a rain delay in Ruston in the top of the fourth.
Back in action, the Owls came away with three more runs with an RBI single in the fifth and a single advancement that plated two more in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Outfielder Brylee Hage and catcher Randi Drinnon were the lone Tops to record hits on the night.
Right-hander Kelsie Houchens now moves to 10-5 on the year, as she gave up three runs on five hits with a strikeout. Freshman Maddy Wood pitched the last four in the circle, giving up the same runs and hits with three strikeouts recorded against the Owls' offense.
Now in a win-or-go-home-game, the Hilltoppers are set for [6] Middle Tennessee tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. CT at the Dr. Billy Bundrick Field in Ruston.
TOP STORYLINES
- In a tilted series, WKU is now 26-29 against Florida Atlantic all-time. The Tops are 14-7 in Conference USA Tournament games.
- Head coach Amy Tudor earned her 300th win as WKU's leader in the series opening win over LA Tech. She earned career 500-win mark in the Tops 9-0 win over Evansville in March, while posting 519 all-time.
- On the stat sheet, Faith Hegh is leading the Tops with a .372 batting average, as Taylor Sanders leads with 39 RBIs and nine home runs and while Taylor Davis has 62 hits and stolen 19 bases.
- The Hilltoppers collectively hold 393 hits, 211 RBIs, a .282 batting average with 23 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.
