In a commanding performance, right-hander Katie Gardner led the WKU Softball team to a 6-2 victory over Middle Tennessee on Friday evening, showcasing her pitching prowess with seven strikeouts and no walks in a complete seven-inning ballgame.
Runs came in the late innings for WKU, with Brylee Hage and TJ Webster leading the offensive charge in the series opener. Cheyanne Sales also made her mark with her fourth home run of the season.
The game remained a defensive battle at the WKU Softball Complex until the bottom of the fifth inning, with both teams recording just one hit each.
Kelsey Schmidt kickstarted the Hilltopper offense with a leadoff double to left-center field in the fifth, followed by Randi Drinnon’s single through the right side, advancing Schmidt to third. TJ Webster then secured her 11th RBI of the season with a bunt, bringing Schmidt home. Taylor Sanders contributed with a sacrifice fly to center field, extending the lead, before Cheyanne Sales sealed the inning with a two-run home run into left field.
Although Middle Tennessee managed to break the shutout with an unearned run in the sixth inning, WKU responded with two more insurance runs in the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back RBI singles from Hage and Webster extended the Tops’ lead to 6-1.
Middle Tennessee narrowed the margin with an RBI groundout in the seventh inning, but Gardner closed out the game with a strikeout, securing the win.
Gardner’s stellar performance adds to her impressive season, leading the WKU pitching staff with 12 wins. In another standout display, she allowed just one earned run off three hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Top Storylines:
- WKU maintains its lead over Middle Tennessee in the all-time series, now standing at 48-34.
- Cheyanne Sales notched the Tops’ 33rd home run of the season, marking her fourth of the year.
- Taylor Sanders inches closer to tying the program’s all-time RBIs leader, needing just seven more RBIs.
- Brylee Hage and TJ Webster had multi-hit performances, contributing to the team’s offensive success.
- Webster leads WKU with 14 multi-hit games, closely followed by Hage with 12.
- Webster holds the team’s highest batting average at .395, while Morgan Sharpe leads in hits with 49.
- WKU continues to lead Conference USA in batting average (.306) and fielding percentage (.971).
- Gardner leads the pitching staff with a 2.53 ERA and 100 strikeouts, followed by Rylan Smith with a 4.06 ERA and 92 strikeouts.
- The Hilltoppers will face Middle Tennessee again for game two of the series at the WKU Softball Complex, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
