WKU Sweeps MTSU With 7-5 Win On Sunday

Sunday, March 22

Bowling Green, Ky.

12 p.m. CT

Western Kentucky University

22-7, 6-3

Middle Tennessee

13-16, 3-6

MTSU

WKU

Photo by: Steve Roberts/WKU Athletics

3/22/2026 5:49:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- WKU Softball swept Middle Tennessee with a 7-5 win on Sunday behind three home runs and a combined total of eight strikeouts.

Three different Hilltoppers (22-7 overall, 6-3 CUSA) posted a home run in the win over the Blue Raiders (13-16 overall, 3-6 CUSA) as Erica Houge led the pitching staff in strikeouts with five.

WKU 7, MTSU 5
HOW IT HAPPENED
MTSU scored quickly to open the game, stringing together an RBI single and an RBI double to put two runs on the board.

Jenna Blanton opened the home half of the first with a single to shortstop and Kendle White wasted no time matching MTSU's offense with a two-RBI home run to left center.

First baseman Annie White was issued a five-pitch walk and two batters later, Kennedy Stinson turned on the third pitch of her at-bat and sent the ball over the left center wall for the third and fourth runs of the inning.

The Hilltoppers continued their offensive pursuit in the second as Katie Murphy kicked things off with a single to left field. Morgan Sharpe moved Murphy to second with a sacrifice bunt and Blanton singled to the pitcher to put runners on first and third.

Blanton stole second and a throwing error by MTSU's catcher allowed Murphy to score for the fifth run of the day.

Annie White scored the sixth run with an RBI single to right center that scored Blanton.

Up 6-2 going into the third, the Blue Raiders scored their third run after a WKU miscue.

Sharpe scored the final run for the Hilltoppers in the fourth, swinging on the first pitch of her at-bat and sending the ball over the right center wall for the second home run of her career.

MTSU grabbed two more runs in the top of the sixth with a two-RBI home run, but Houge retired the side before the Blue Raiders could do anymore damage.

Rylan Smith was brought in to pitch in the seventh inning and recorded three straight strikeouts to earn her third save of the season.

QUOTABLE
"That was a really good performance, all weekend, by our staff, our offense, and I thought we played really good defense," said WKU Softball head coach Amy Tudor. "It's always a grind on day three, we used three pitchers today. Our offense responded every time they responded. I'm just really proud of how we fought and we got the series sweep."

NOTABLES

WKU moves to 22-7 overall and 16-1 when playing at the WKU Softball Complex.
The Hilltoppers are now 54-37 all-time against the Blue Raiders.
The sweep of MTSU is WKU's second conference sweep this season.
Erica Houge improved to 12-3 on the season. Rylan Smith earned her third save.
Sunday's game was the fourth time this season the Hilltoppers have hit three home runs in a single game and was the fourth game with three or more home runs.
Morgan Sharpe hit her second home run of the season and both Kendle White and Kennedy Stinson hit their sixth.
Maddy Wood earned her 10th start of the season and Rylan Smith and Erica Houge combined for eight strikeouts with Houge leading at five.
The Hilltoppers hit .370 as a team on Sunday and .368 over the three-game series.
Across the three games, Jenna Blanton hit a team-leading .667 and Kendle White hit .600 and led in RBI with four.
Both Blanton and Kendle White went 3-for-3 in stolen bases over the weekend.

UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will head to Las Cruces, New Mexico to take on New Mexico State in a three-game series starting Friday, March 27. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.