RUSTON, La. – The WKU Softball team split their first two games of the series at Louisiana Tech on Saturday, with stellar pitching from both starters. The Tops dropped game one, 5-3, to the Bulldogs, but came back in the second contest to defeat the host, 6-5, at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
All four members of the WKU pitching staff saw action in the day, combining for a total of 15 strikeouts against the LA Tech bats. TJ Webster was 4-for-6 at the plate between both games, while Cheyanne Sales hit her third home run of the season in the first contest.
Game 1: LA TECH 5, WKU 3
WKU and the Bulldogs kept a quiet game from the batter’s box during the first three innings as both pitchers dueled out in the circle. The Tops scored first from an Annie White sacrifice-fly into deep center field to plate a run in the top of the fourth.
In the bottom half, LA Tech gained the lead from a pair of RBI hits and sacrifice-flies to plate four.
The Tops continued to push on offense. In the fifth inning, Brylee Hage hit an RBI groundout on the right side before Cheyanne Sales picked up her third home run of the season with a shot over the wall in the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bulldogs collected an insurance run with a solo homer into right field and solidified the board with a 5-3 game.
Katie Gardner started in the circle for the Tops and pitched lights out through three innings. Gardner only gave up a walk, hit by pitch, and struck out five while keeping the Bulldogs without a hit. After a rough fourth frame, Kelsie Houchens made her ninth appearance of the season and retired a batter at the plate.
Game 2: WKU 6, LA TECH 5
Both teams got moving on offense early in the ballgame, the Bulldogs jumped on an RBI single and fielder’s choice to get a 2-0 start after one.
In the next frame, Kaytlan Kemp picked up her first hit of the season: a blooper on the left field line that plated two and would tie things up. Later in the inning, TJ Webster and Taylor Sanders would collect back-to-back RBI singles and keep the bases loaded. As the Tops batted through the order, the final run of the second inning was plated from a bases-loaded walk drawn by Cheyanne Sales.
A quiet set of middle innings, right-hander Rylan Smith worked her way to strikeout six from the third inning on and battle a late offensive presence from LA Tech. Smith got out of a bases-loaded jam unscathed in the bottom of the sixth.
After Taylor Sanders hit her first triple of the season into right-center field, Cheyanne Sales singled back into the same spot to send her home for an insurance run.
LA Tech didn’t hold back from the Hilltoppers in the bottom of the seventh, a sacrifice-fly and two-run double would bring the host within a run to tie the game with one out. The Tops defense pulled through, ending the contest, and tied the series on a double play.
Smith earned her eighth win of the season and posted a career single-game high with nine strikeouts from the circle. Maddy Wood came in for relief in the seventh and saw two batters. She earned the save closing the ballgame without a run.
TOP STORYLINES
Louisiana Tech continues the all-time series lead over the Hilltoppers, 11-8.
TJ Webster, Cheyanne Sales, and Taylor Sanders all had multi-hit afternoons at the plate.
Cheyanne Sales picked up her 16th career home run, third of the season.
As a whole, WKU is leading Conference USA with a .325 batting average and .975 fielding rate.
TJ Webster leads the Tops with a .458 batting average, while Morgan Sharpe owns 43 hits on the season. Both lead CUSA in their category.
Katie Gardner is operating with a 1.92 ERA to lead the WKU pitching staff, producing 63 strikeouts at the plate.
Rylan Smith is next in line with a 2.59 ERA and 74 strikeouts.
The Tops and Bulldogs will wrap up the series tomorrow, March 24 at 12 p.m. CT.
