Following an 11-1 WKU Softball victory over Alabama State, the Hilltoppers turned around and immediately played a waiting Kennesaw State squad. The Red and White dropped the second contest 2-1, allowing just one earned run in the tilt.
Adarian Gray continued her postseason hot streak, knocking a home run in each of the day’s game to bring her total to 10 on her debut season.
“Pudge [Gray] had two big hits today that were no doubters,” head coach Amy Tudor shared. “She has great bat speed and when she swings at her pitch, she hits the ball long and hard.”
The Hilltoppers remain an even .500 on the season, closing the day with a 30-30 record overall. WKU is now 5-5 all-time in NCAA or NISC postseason events.
GAME 59: WKU 11, ALABAMA STATE 1 (5)
After Alabama State scored its lone run of the game in the top of the first inning on a two-out home run to right field, WKU Softball plated 11 unanswered runs to take down the Lady Hornets, 11-1. Down a run before taking a plate appearance, the victory marked the Hilltoppers’ 14th come-from-behind win of the year.
Haylee Towers tossed her 13th complete game of the season while registering five strike outs against just one walk and six hits to improve to 7-12 in the circle on her debut season. Towers contributed offensively as well, going 2-for-2 at the plate along with an RBI walk.
Towers, as well as Brittany Vaughn and Morgan McElroy all registered multi-hit games for the Hilltoppers. One of Vaughn’s knocks left the park over the left field fence in the form of the redshirt-junior’s ninth home run of the season.
Gray also homered in the day’s opening tilt, marking the freshman’s ninth long ball of her debut season.
Kelsey McGuffin, Vaughn, McElroy and Gray each had a multi-RBI game for the Hilltoppers in the run-rule victory. All 11 of the Red and White’s runs went down as RBI.
GAME 60: KENNESAW STATE 2, WKU 1
Scoreless through the first two frames, Gray changed that with one swing of the bat in the top of the third inning. The freshman blasted her second home run of the day with a two-out long ball over the left field fence to give the Hilltoppers a 1-0 lead in the game.
After the lead off KSU batter knocked a single, Taylor Proctor registered her 17th runner thrown out of the year as the Owl baserunner attempted to take second. After an infield fielding error, however, Kennesaw State sent a double to the wall which brought in an unearned run to knot the game at 1-1.
The score would remain the same until Kennesaw State came up to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two away, the Owls’ clean-up hitter sent the eventual game-winner over the center-field fence.
Kathryn Downing pitched her team-leading 14th complete game of the season taking the 2-1 loss. The senior is now 16-14 in the circle.
“Downing and Towers both threw well for us today, each allowing just one earned run,” Tudor continued. “Our offense was alive in the first game but struggled to get going in game two, which is something we’ll look to adjust tomorrow.”
Now in the loser’s bracket, the Hilltoppers will play their next contest on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT. WKU will face the winner of the Alabama State and Georgia State/ UT Martin contest, a game that will be played at 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday.
How to Follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook @WKUSoftball.
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Jessica Leifheit
Assistant Director
WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations
