The Hilltoppers saw five named to the CUSA All-Tournament Team for their performances this week: Katie Gardner, Taylor Sanders, Sophie Weber, TJ Webster, and Annie White.
LIBERTY 4, WKU 3 [9inn.]
The Tops picked up the initial lead at 1-0 in the first inning from an Annie White RBI double into left center field.
With right-hander Katie Gardner in the circle, she left the Flames unanswered for four straight innings, only giving up one hit. In the top of the fifth, Morgan Sharpe earned her first RBI of the tournament with an RBI fielder's choice into left field, plating Taylor Sanders.
The Flames answered back in the bottom of the fifth with a single, making it a 2-1 ballgame for WKU.
Kelsey Schmidt hit a solo homer into left field in the top of six for WKU's third consecutive game with a home run and drew some insurance. Liberty fought back in the bottom half with a pair of runs and tied the game, 3-3, after six innings as freshman right-hander Rylan Smith came in to pitch.
Smith took full control of the circle as she worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in the bottom of the seventh, striking out the final two batters and sent the Hilltoppers and Flames into extra innings.
After a quiet eighth, Liberty walked off the game with an RBI double in nine innings.
TOP STORYLINES
- The Hilltoppers continue to lead the all-time series against Liberty, 4-3.
- The Tops are now 16-10 in CUSA Tournament games, after earning a berth to their third title game in four years.
- Kelsey Schmidt picked up the Tops' 41st home runs of the season.
- A pitcher's dual all game, Katie Gardner and Rylan Smith combined for six strikeouts in the circle.
- The Tops had five named to the CUSA All-Tournament Team: Katie Gardner, Taylor Sanders, Sophie Weber, TJ Webster, and Annie White.
- Taylor Sanders ends her time on The Hill as the program's all-time home runs leader (48), all-time RBIs leader (184), career total bases leader (369), career slugging percentage leader (.692), single-season home run leader (17), and single-season RBI leader (56).
- TJ Webster leaves WKU third all-time in career stolen bases (84), second all-time in runs scored (136), tied second all-time in career hits (216), and second all-time in career assists (494).
- Brylee Hage ends her five-year career fifth all-time in career batting average (.334), tied second all-time in career hits (216), fifth all-time in runs scored (129), and third all-time in career multi-hit games (57).
- Katie Gardner finishes fourth in all-time appearances (129), tied fifth all-time in career shutouts (14), and fifth in career strikeouts (505) in her five-year career as a Hilltopper.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on X at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball, and Facebook/WKUSoftball.
