Hilltoppers earn game one win against Blue Raiders

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Softball earned the 5-4 win over Middle Tennessee on Friday night behind two home runs and a season-high seven strikeouts from Erica Houge.

Annie White and Kendle White were responsible for four total RBI, and a sacrifice fly from Jenna Blanton scored the fifth and final run of the night for the Hilltoppers (20-7 overall, 4-3 CUSA). MTSU (13-14 overall, 3-4 CUSA) scored in the final three innings, but a strong defense prevented more than four runs.

WKU 5, MTSU 4

HOW IT HAPPENED

Blanton opened the bottom of the first with a leadoff bunt single and the very next at-bat featured Kendle White’s fifth home run of the season as she sent the ball over the left center wall for two RBI.

MTSU was held scoreless through the first four innings thanks to three strikeouts and a double play as Houge did not allow a Blue Raider past second base.

In the home half of the fourth inning, the Blue Raiders made a pitching change after Morgan Sharpe doubled to center field. Immediately after the switch, Blanton hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field to score Katie Murphy and extend WKU’s lead to 3-0.

An RBI single and a throwing error allowed MTSU to score two runs to cut WKU’s lead to one run in the top of the fifth.

The Tops answered MTSU’s two runs with two of their own, as Annie White sent her eighth home run of the season into the second level of the parking structure past left field.

Up 5-2 going into the sixth, the Blue Raiders scored their third run of the game with an RBI double down the left field line.

Houge started the top of the seventh inning with a ground out and a strike out before MTSU scored a solo home run to cut the deficit to one, 5-4. Hogue then generated the final ground out of the night to earn her 11th win of the season.

QUOTABLE

“It was great to come out of the gate and get a win,” said WKU Softball head coach Amy Tudor. “We were on a little streak of struggling a little bit to find our pieces, but we had a lot of production from a lot of different people. It was a good win to start the series.”

NOTABLES

• The Hilltoppers improve to 20-7 on the season and to 52-37 all-time against the Blue Raiders
• Erica Houge tied her career high in strikeouts with seven as the sophomore earned her 11th win of the season in 16 appearances.
• Kendle White went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run, two singles, and two RBI. Annie White matched Kendle White’s RBI total with two, going 1-for-2 at the plate.
• Houge also threw exactly 100 pitches in her sixth complete game of the season, allowing six hits and three earned runs while fanning seven.
• Jenna Blanton grabbed her team-high 15th stolen base of the season.
• Five of WKU’s starting nine collected at least one hit.
• WKU’s single strikeout is the fewest this season in a seven-inning game.

UP NEXT

WKU continues the series against MTSU on Saturday, March 21. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.