Late Rally Falls Short as Troy Drops Final Game to WKU

Sunday, April 21

Troy, Ala.

12:00 p.m.

Troy University

Western Kentucky

Photo by: Joshua Thurston

Late Rally Falls Short as Troy Drops Final Game to WKU

4/21/2013 3:15:00 PM | Softball

By: Tyler Pigg

Box Score
Photo Gallery

TROY, Ala. – Despite Rachel Rigney's effort in the circle, the Troy softball team dropped the final game of a three-game set against Western Kentucky 3-2 on Sunday at the Troy Softball Complex.

Lady Toppers shortstop Amanda Thomas' solo home run that appeared to bounce off of Troy center fielder Ebony Wright's glove as the junior attempted to the make a leaping catch at the wall that broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh inning and give WKU the go-ahead run.

Troy had its chance to retake the lead in its final at-bat as Bailey Blake's leadoff single and a walk to Kacie McAlister put the tying and go-ahead runs on the base paths with no outs. After Amanda Winter's attempted bunt led to the lead-runner Blake being forced out at third, WKU (31-13, 15-3 Sun Belt) starter Emily Rousseau buckled down to pick up a strikeout and a line out back to the circle to close out the game.

This weekend marked the first time Troy has been swept in Sun Belt series this year and the first conference series loss for the Trojans at home this season.

After falling behind 2-0, Troy (20-26, 7-10 Sun Belt) scratched a run in the middle innings. McAllister's fifth-inning sacrifice fly to left cut the Lady Toppers lead in half and an error by WKU second baseman Olivia Watkins led to Hannah Renn scoring from third to tie the game in the sixth.

Rachel Rigney (8-13) was saddled with the loss, giving up the solo homer in the seventh. The freshman held WKU off the board for the first three innings, giving up just an infield single. Rigney allowed three runs and five hits in six innings of work, while striking out a pair and did not issue a walk in the start.

Rousseau (18-5) recorded her second win of the series, allowing two runs in the complete-game win, surrendering five hits and issuing a pair of walks while striking out seven.

Mallorie Sulaski's two-RBI double to the right-center field wall, set up by a pair of two-out singles by the Lady Toppers, gave WKU a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Sulaski was cut down at second base after a wide turn and a quick relay from McAllister in right field to Bailey Blake at second ended the top half of the fourth inning.

In the fifth, two WKU errors allowed Troy cut the deficit in half with McAllister's third sacrifice fly of the season to plate pinch-runner Chelsea Eytel for the junior's 25^th RBI of the season. In their next at-bat, the Trojans took advantage of WKU's third error on a ground ball off the bat of Taylor Smartt with the infield drawn in that allowed Hannah Renn to score and tie the game at 2-2.

WKU quickly retook the lead in the seventh as Thomas belted a solo home run that Troy center fielder Ebony Wright attempted to rob at the wall in left-center, but as the junior went up to make the leaping grab, the ball appeared to bounce off the her glove and over the fence.
Jaycee Affeldt picked up the final three outs in relief of Rigney. The sophomore pitched out of a small jam after giving up a single and walk to hold the deficit at just one-run.

Blake led Troy at the plate with a pair of hits, while Renn added a single and scored a run and Chandler Griffin recorded a single with a hit in the sixth inning. Caitlin Ortiz's extended her season-long reached base streak, reaching on a hit-by-pitch in the third. Leanna Smith finished 1-for-2 at the plate in her first career start; recording her first career hit with a single in the third.

Troy travels to No. 20 South Alabama for a pivotal midweek Sun Belt series in Mobile on Tuesday night with first pitch set for 6 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. For in-game updates from the softball diamond, follow Troy Softball on Twitter at @TroySBall.