WKU softball played several games this past week while the student body was on spring break, including a game in South Carolina and a Conference USA opening series against Marshall. 

WKU (10-5) played a game in Columbia, South Carolina this past Wednesday, March 11 against the South Carolina Gamecocks (20-9). Despite WKU holding the lead with a score of 1-0 until the sixth inning, the Lady Toppers fell 2-1.  

Senior Dani Pugh scored the only run for the Lady Toppers from third base after junior Brooke Holloway sacrificed a bunt. During the second, fourth and fifth innings South Carolina put runners on base, but solid play from the mound and defensive stops from the Lady Toppers kept the score in their favor.

“Kramer came through and our hitters stepped up and hit the ball well,” Head Coach Amy Tudor said. “We made some great defensive plays.” 

A walk off triple and a walk at the bottom of the seventh cleared the way for South Carolina to win. 

“I feel like we are still trying to get back in sync,” Tudor said. “I thought we played well and you know, a few mistakes happened. When you’re playing a team of that caliber mistakes can’t happen.”

On Friday, WKU’s opening series in the C-USA took place against Marshall. 

The outcome of the first game that went into extra innings was a win for Marshall. Ten innings resulted in a score of 2-0 as both pitchers combined for 30 strikeouts for the game.

Game two ended in the highest scoring with WKU winning 9-5.

Game three ended in WKU’s favor as well with a score of 3-2. Dani Pugh hit her fourth homer of the year in the fifth inning to break the 1-1 tie. 

“It’s definitely good to win when you’re playing a team like Marshall,” Tudor said. “It’s great to go in there and get your first conference series win.”

The Lady Toppers travel to Tennessee on March 17 for a non-conference game against the Volunteers, and then to Muncie, Indiana to play a three-game series against Ball State. The series will begin with a doubleheader on March 21.