Katie Gardner went 4.1 innings with the start on the day and gave up six runs, while retiring four at the plate.
LIBERTY 7, WKU 5
The Tops got moving ahead in the top of the first. With two outs on the board, Taylor Sanders took a swing at the 1-2 pitch and took it to the Flames' videoboard in left-center field for her 13th home run of the season and an early lead for the Red and White.
Freshman Annie White duplicated the fifth-year, taking the 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for her second homer of the season in the second frame.
The Tops secured more runs in the third inning: White reached base on a Liberty fielding error with the bases-loaded. TJ Webster and Taylor Sanders scored to bring up a 4-0 ballgame.
After a two-run double and two-run home run in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, the Flames tied things up at four runs apiece at the Liberty Softball Stadium.
Driving in her second RBI of the afternoon, White picked up the go-ahead run for the Tops in the fifth inning from an RBI single up the middle to take the lead at 5-4.
A tough bottom half was in store for the Hilltoppers as they went through three pitching changes. The Flames gained the lead and solidified the game off of a two-run homer into right-center and RBI single.
Gardner was handed her seventh loss of the season as she worked through 4.1 innings, retiring four at the plate. Maddy Wood saw action against three batters in the fifth inning, before Rylan Smith closed down on defense and earned a strikeout.
TOP STORYLINES
- Tops continue to lead the all-time series with Liberty, 4-2.
- WKU's all-time home runs leader Taylor Sanders picked up her 13th homer of the season, her career high.
- Freshman Annie White was 2-for-4 at the plate picking up two RBIs. She hit her second home run of the season in the second inning.
- Fifth-year Katie Gardner picked up four strikeouts, while freshman Rylan Smith retired one at the plate in the afternoon.
- TJ Webster leads the Tops with a .408 batting average, while Morgan Sharpe owns 46 hits on the season. Sharpe leads the league in hits.
- Katie Gardner is operating with a 2.17 ERA to lead the WKU pitching staff, producing 86 strikeouts at the plate. Rylan Smith is next in line with a 3.07 ERA and 88 strikeouts.
- WKU is back in action in Oxford, Miss. to face Ole Miss for a non-conference three-game series, April 12-14. All three games are on SECN+.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on X at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball, and Facebook/WKUSoftball.
