In a 12-hit day, Faith Hegh picked up her second home run of the season, while Taylor Davis went 3-for-4 at the plate in the first ballgame. Freshman right-hander Maddy Wood saw action for the first time since March, pitching a solid 6.0 innings only giving up three runs with two strikeouts in extras.
Game 1: WKU 5, LA TECH 3
Making their mark on the board before their opponent, the Tops moved in the bottom of the third inning with a bases-loaded walk, advancing on a wild pitch, and bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to gain a three-run advantage into the next frame.
In the fourth, the Lady Techsters gained a run on the board with an RBI single up the middle for a 3-1 game.
TJ Webster later sacrifice-flied out to center field to score Kennedy Foote from third base in the sixth inning, before catcher Randi Drinnon advanced Hegh across the plate with an RBI single.
LA Tech fought back in their last inning, senior Katie Gardner gave up a bases-loaded walk, while a sacrifice-fly plated another, as the series was the Tops, 5-3.
Senior Katie Gardner picked up her 15th complete game of the season, with a three runs off of eight hits outing that she walked three and struck out three at the plate.
Game 2: WKU 3, LA TECH 6
WKU got going first as Davis reached on base by a fielder's choice and second baseman Kasia Parks landed home off of a LA Tech error in the third inning. Later in the frame, Drinnon reached on another error while Hegh went for the plate and an early, 2-0 lead.
Giving up the first of two LA Tech home runs in the 13-inning match up, the Lady Techster's five-spot hitter came in on a 2-2 pitch to left field that tied the ballgame.
Giving the Tops the best shot, fifth-year Faith Hegh clinched home run number seven on the year with a solo shot to right-center field for the 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of six, LA Tech came back for the tie with an RBI double down the left field line for a three-piece between both teams.
Going into extras, the Hilltoppers and Lady Techsters went five scoreless innings, tying the longest game of the season with a 13-inning outing as the match up with Eastern Kentucky back in March. LA Tech got moving in the top of the 13th with a solo home run from Katelyn Cooper. An RBI triple down the right field line and fielder's choice sent three runs on the board for the opponent and ended the three-game winning streak for WKU.
From the pitcher's circle, Kelsie Houchens earned a career-high eight strikeouts, with three runs off of five hits in six innings of work. Freshman Maddy Wood later came in for relief, pitching a high seven innings into extras while producing two strikeouts at the plate while giving up six hits.
The Hilltoppers are preparing for the Conference USA Softball Tournament next weekend in Ruston, hosted by LA Tech. The Tops' seeding will be announced tomorrow after all the regular-season games are completed.
TOP STORYLINES
- Inching towards a more even series, WKU trails 7-10 all-time.
- Head coach Amy Tudor earned her 300th win as WKU's leader with last night's series opening win. She earned career 500-win mark in the Tops 9-0 win over Evansville in March, while posting 518 all-time.
- On the stat sheet, Faith Hegh is leading the Tops with a .384 batting average, while also owning 61 hits. Taylor Sanders leads with 39 RBIs and nine home runs and while Taylor Davis has 60 hits and stolen 19 bases.
- The Hilltoppers collectively hold 386 hits, 210 RBIs, a .286 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.
