Though Tennessee Tech came into the game with a team ERA that was more than a full run higher than WKU’s, TTU cooled WKU’s hot bats for the first 3 innings of the game.

    WKU finally was able to break the scoreless tie in a fourth inning that got started with a double by freshman infielder Preslie Cruce. After juniors Amand Thomas and Katrina Metoyer walked the bases loaded Junior first basemen singled in a run on a line drive up the middle.

    Junior pitcher Kim Wagner made the lone run stand up in the top of the fifth where she was able to pitch her way out of trouble with runners in scoring position as she struck out the last batter up that inning to end the threat.

     Both teams continued to go scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings leading to a slim 1-0 victory for WKU.

    Wagner, who had a career high in strike outs with 11 on her way to her ninth win of the season, said that she doesn’t necessarily look to strike out every batter she faces.

    “You want strike outs to happen because it gives your team some momentum, but it kinda just happens over the course of an at bat,” she said. “It kinda just happens over the course of the at bat because once you get two strikes on a batter you start to try to move the ball more and get out the zone to try to make them chase.”

    Wagner added that because she was not getting strike class in the low part of the zone she mostly threw rise balls and worked up in the zone.

    Head Coach Tyra Perry was impressed with how Wagner performed and commented her hard work after the game.

    “I can’t express to you how proud of her I am so far,” she said. “She’s definitely worked on her game to where all of her pitches are effective. There are no obvious balls, everything that she’s up there is something the batter can swing or the umpire can call a strike.”

    Perry also said she wasn’t expecting a pitcher’s duel but gave gave credit to her batters saying, “We hit the ball fairly well it was just right at people,” she said. “But I thought we stayed fairly steady, and when it comes to things like this you just got get the win.”

    Though Wagner’s performance high lighted the game, both Perry and Wagner were impressed with the defense that had an error-less game. Wagner said she got particularly excited when sophomore second basemen Olivia Watkins made a diving play for the second out in the top of the seventh.

    “That was amazing,” Wagner said. “ It just pumped me up, I was so excited for her.”

WKU will face undefeated  #14 Louisville on Wednesday. But Perry thinks WKU can give Louisville their first loss if they stick to their game plan

    “We’ve always played Lou historically strong,” she said. “If we go out and do the things that we know wins ball games for us then it dose not matter who’s on the other side.”

    First pitch in that game is schedule for 4 pm.