WKU Softball secured three wins and suffered two losses in its second home tournament of the season Feb. 28-March 2.
The Hilltoppers defeated Tennessee Tech and Evansville but suffered two losses to Kentucky across the five-day Hilltopper Spring Fling. WKU’s nine-game win streak was ended during the tournament.
The weekend was all about WKU pitchers Rylan Smith and Maddy Wood. Smith struck out nine players in game five against Tennessee Tech, and Wood was the lone Hilltopper to pitch a full game two against TTU.
Day 1
WKU split day one’s competition.
WKU’s back-and-forth battle with Kentucky handed the Hilltoppers their first home loss in the weekend’s first game.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Rylan Smith started in the circle for the Hilltoppers. Despite hitting the first batter, Smith redeemed herself and struck out UK players Allie Blum and Peyton Plotts in the top of the first. The Hilltoppers couldn’t connect either, and the game was scoreless after the first.
WKU retired the top of the second on three consecutive flyouts caught by freshman center fielder Kennedy Stinson, sophomore first baseman Annie White and freshman right fielder Macy Gregor.
The Hilltoppers put the first run on the board in the bottom of the second. Annie White advanced to second and third on sophomore infielder Maci Masters’ double to left field. Stinson’s sacrifice fly to center field allowed Annie White to score. WKU led UK 1-0 after the second.
Similar to the top of the second, the Hilltoppers retired the top of the third on three consecutive left-field flyouts. Kendle White retired the first two outs, and the second was an impressive diving catch. Sharpe caught the third and final out.
WKU could not extend their lead anymore in the bottom of the third, so WKU’s lead remained 1-0 going into the fourth.
The Wildcats found their rhythm in the top of the fourth. A two-RBI home run from Plotts gave UK their first lead of the game. Another Wildcat home run put UK up 3-1. Freshman Erica Houge replaced Smith at pitcher in the middle of the top of the fourth. Houge allowed no more runs in the inning.
Freshman third baseman Katie Murphy homered to center field in the bottom of the fourth, her second home run of the week and of her collegiate career. WKU trailed 3-2 going into the fifth.
The fifth inning included minimal action. Both teams consecutively retired all three outs in the first three batters.
Unlike the fifth, the sixth inning saw scoring from UK and WKU. A Wildcat RBI single put UK up 4-2 after the top of the sixth.
With bases loaded, Kendle White’s clutch two-RBI double tied the game 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth. The two runs were scored by Stinson and junior outfielder Anniston Bray.
With bases loaded again, Gregor walked, and Murphy scored. The Hilltoppers regained the lead, 5-4, after the sixth.
In the top of the seventh, Plotts’ double to left center field allowed another UK runner to advance home tying the game 5-5. A Wildcat single to right center allowed another two runs and put the Wildcats up 7-5.
Masters, Stinson and Drinnon all struck out swinging in the bottom of the seventh. The 7-5 Hilltopper defeat gave WKU its first home loss of the 2025 season.
Despite the loss, head coach Amy Tudor recognized the importance of challenging games like UK.
“We’re young. We’re gonna make some mistakes and learn how to win those games,” Tudor said. “It’s still early, so I think this experience is very valuable for the team.”
WKU redeemed itself in its victory over Tennessee Tech concluding day one.
Junior right-handed pitcher Maddy Wood started as pitcher for the Hilltoppers. She set the tone for the game by striking out the first TTU batter. Neither the Golden Eagles nor the Hilltoppers put one on the board in the first.
TTU still couldn’t connect in the top of the second, but WKU capitalized in the bottom of the inning. Masters’ two-run homer put WKU up 2-0 after the second. The other Hilltopper run was scored by Annie White.
A quiet third inning included no runs from either team.
WKU’s dominant defense in the top of the fourth consisted of a rocket throw from Drinnon to Sharpe, tagging a TTU runner stealing second and securing a double play. Another Hilltopper home run, this time from Stinson, extended WKU’s lead to 3-0 concluding the fourth.
A quick top of the fifth included a strikeout from Wood and back-to-back groundouts. Masters’ RBI groundout scored Gregor in the bottom of the fifth. The Hilltoppers led 4-0 going into the sixth.
Wood began the top of the sixth with another strikeout. With bases loaded, a TTU runner advanced home putting TTU’s first run on the board. In the bottom of the sixth, Sharpe’s RBI double down the right-field line scored Bray. WKU held a 5-1 going into the final inning.
The Golden Eagles failed to score in the top of the seventh, so the game concluded in the Hilltoppers’ first win of the series.
Wood finished the game with five strikeouts, and was the only WKU pitcher to pitch a full game on day one.
“Coach (Tudor) really helps us prepare mentally…to pitch a full game,” Wood said. “Another great part of strength…(is) knowing my defense has my back (and will) make plays behind me.”
Day 2
Similar to day one, WKU split its two games against Evansville and Kentucky on day two of the weekend.
Smith started as pitcher for the Hilltoppers and struck out the first Evansville batter.
Smith’s pitching combined with efficient WKU defense allowed no runs in the top of the first. The Hilltoppers couldn’t connect on the other end, so the game was scoreless after the first.
The tame second and third innings meant the score remained 0-0 going into the fourth.
The game came alive in the fourth. Evansville’s RBI double to left field put the first run of the game on the board. The Hilltoppers responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.
With Masters at bat and bases loaded, Stinson scored on a catching error to tie the game 1-1. Murphy scored off of Master’s groundout RBI and gave WKU the lead. With Gregor at bat, Sharpe got caught in a pickle stealing second allowing Kendle White to steal second. The Hilltoppers went ahead 3-1 after the fourth.
The Purple Aces tied the game 3-3 with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth. Immediately after, freshman Delainey Bargfrede replaced Smith at pitcher and allowed no more runs in the inning. Evansville’s defense proved too much for WKU, so the score remained 3-3.
Another Evansville RBI double put the Purple Aces ahead 4-3 in the top of the sixth. Immediately after, Wood replaced Bargfrede at pitcher. Sharpe’s RBI fly out to left field scored Kendle White. The score was tied 4-4 going into the final inning.
After a scoreless top of the seventh, the Hilltoppers pulled away on a run from Gregor. The suspenseful game concluded in a 5-4 WKU win.
WKU suffered its second loss to UK in game two on Saturday.
Wood started on the mound for WKU. The Wildcats came out hot in the top of the first with back-to-back RBI triples. The final UK run in the inning was from an RBI groundout. The Hilltoppers couldn’t find their rhythm in the first, so the Wildcats led 3-0 going into the second.
In the top of the second, Houge replaced Wood at pitcher and held UK to zero runs in the second. WKU found their footing in the bottom of the second. Masters’ two-RBI home run put the first two Hilltopper runs on the board, but the Wildcats still held a 3-2 lead after the second.
The third inning included no runs from either team.
UK couldn’t find home in the top of the fourth, but WKU tied the game 3-3 on Annie White’s home run in the bottom of the fourth.
Despite the Hilltoppers’ momentum, the Wildcats retook control of the game in the top of the fifth. With bases loaded, UK hit a three-RBI triple to right field and took a 6-3 lead. The Hilltoppers didn’t respond with any runs in the bottom of the fifth.
The final Wildcat triple in the top of the sixth extended UK’s lead to 8-3. The Hilltoppers didn’t score in the bottom of the sixth, so the Hilltoppers trailed by five runs going into the final inning.
WKU held UK to no runs in the top of the seventh.
Sharpe’s RBI double to left center field allowed for a run from Murphy. Sharpe then secured one herself on a wild pitch, but the Hilltoppers couldn’t close the lead any further. The game ended in an 8-5 WKU defeat.
The Hilltoppers held a 2-2 tournament record going into the final day of the series.
Day 3
WKU looked to secure a winning record on the weekend in its final game against Tennessee Tech.
Smith started at pitcher for the Hilltoppers, and she accumulated a notable nine strikeouts in the game. She held the Golden Eagles to no runs in the first two innings.
WKU set the tone for the game with its three runs in the bottom of the first. Stinson’s RBI fly out to right field allowed for a run from Murphy. Sharpe stole home, and Gregor’s RBI sacrifice fly to center field led to a run from Annie White. The Hilltoppers led 3-0 after the first.
The second inning saw no scoring.
The Golden Eagles put their first run on the board in the top of the third. The Hilltoppers didn’t respond with any runs in the bottom of the third, and a scoreless fourth inning kept WKU’s 3-1 lead going into the fifth.
The Hilltoppers extended their lead to 6-1 after the fifth on Drinnon’s two-RBI double that led to runs from Kemp and Masters. The game’s scoring ended there and solidified the Hilltoppers’ winning Hilltopper Spring Fling record.
“It was [a] good way to end the weekend. Solid pitching and timely hitting,” Tudor said.
WKU begins conference play at Sam Houston March 7 at 6 p.m.
Sports Reporter Adrianna Lein can be reached at adrianna.lein265@topper.wku.edu
