Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Western Kentucky University
Troy Splits with Western Kentucky Friday Night
4/6/2012 9:42:00โฏPM | Softball
Game One Box Score l Game Two Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Troy softball team split a doubleheader to open the series with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Friday night, at the WKU Softball Field, as the Trojans took game one, 9-1, before falling to 8-0 in five innings in the nightcap.
In the first game of the series, Troy belted three home runs and scattered 13 hits against WKU, tying a season-high, respectively.
WKU and Troy traded solo home runs in the early part of the first game, as WKU left fielder gave the Lady Toppers a 1-0 lead with a line drive that clipped the left field foul pole. The Trojans answered right back as senior third baseman Nikki Hollett blasted a solo shot to center to tie the game up at 1-1.
Troy managed to add one more run in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead over the Lady Toppers.
Troy picked up two hits and added a walk from Sarah Harris to load the bases with one out. After Sarah Shields was cut down at the plate on a fiedler's choice from Hannah Renn, Michelle Hewett sent a two-out single to left field that scored Harris to give Troy a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the third, the Trojans got another run, this time off the bat of Shields, as the senior sent a hard-hit single down the left field line to score Hayden Gann, who led off the inning with her team-leading 10th double of the year.
Gann continued her hot hitting in conference play, as the senior drilled a 1-0 pitch from WKU pitcher Mallorie Sulaski over the fence in left center to extend Troy's lead to 4-1 in the top of the fifth inning.
Hannah Renn added Troy's third home run of the day in the top of the sixth inning with a two-out blast to extend Troy's lead to 6-1. Renn's two-run shot was the first home run for the junior since February 26 against Purdue at the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Ashley Rainey was masterful in the circle, as the freshman gave up just one run and allowed three hits. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native picked up three strikeouts and did not allow a walk en route to her team-leading 12th win of the year.
After giving up the one-out home run to Mattox, Rainey retired 13 straight Lady Toppers at the plate and did not allow a runner to actually reach base until the bottom of the sixth inning.
Hayden Gann and Sarah Shields picked up six of Troy's 13 hits in game one. Gann added an RBI, along with a home run and a double, while Shields picked up three RBIs in the win and added a double, her seventh of the season.
Eight of Troy's nine starters picked up hits in the victory over WKU, which is the most hits by the Trojans during conference play this season.
In the nightcap, WKU (22-15-1, 5-5-1) exploded for 11 hits in the 8-0 win, as Lady Toppers' starter Emily Rousseau shut down the Troy at the plate, allowing just one hit in the complete game victory.
Just like in the first game, the Lady Toppers took an early lead. WKU capitalized on a leadoff triple to right field by Katrina Metoyer, as Mallorie Sullaski's sacrifice fly to center plated a run to give the Lady Toppers a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
After threating to score in the third inning, WKU broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning, hanging a five runs on the scoreboard.
Sulaski sent a double to the right center gap to start the frame and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch from Troy (23-13, 5-7) starter Jaycee Affeldt.
Kelsie Mattox lined a single off the hip of Troy reliever Sarah Thomas to score Preslie Cruce, who doubled, to give the Lady Toppers a 3-0 lead.
But, it was a three-run blast off the bat of WKU catcher Karavin Dew that broke the game open for the Lady Toppers in the inning.
WKU tacked on two more run in the bottom of the fifth, as Mattox's RBI double down the right field line gave the Lady Toppers a 8-0 win.
WKU starter Emily Rousseau (10-7) kept the Troy bats cold in the nightcap, as the righthander allowed just one hit, a fifth inning double by Nikki Hollett, and struck out nine Trojans and with no walks.
Affeldt (6-6) picked up the loss for Troy, as the freshman allowed four runs in 3.1 innings. Sarah Thomas allowed four runs in one inning of relief.
Troy and WKU wrap up the series Saturday afternoon, at the WKU Softball Field. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.
