WKU Softball fell to the Louisville Cardinals 13-4 Wednesday night at the WKU Softball Complex. With the loss, the Hilltoppers fall to 19-7 on the season with their fourth straight loss.

The Hilltoppers could not keep the Cardinals off the base path, allowing 14 hits, three home runs and four walks as Louisville hit .389. WKU used its entire pitching staff to get through the game.

Sophomore Erica Houge got the start in the circle, but was relieved by junior Rylan Smith after just an inning and a half, after allowing four runs off an inside-the-park home run in the second inning.

Smith held down the pitching for three and a half innings with four strikeouts, and allowed seven hits and seven runs. Senior Maddy Wood would relieve Smith in the third inning to complete the game.

The Cardinals continued to expose the pitching of the Hilltoppers, as Wood would allow three hits and two runs.

WKU continued to struggle at the plate, hitting .222 on six hits. All hits from the Hilltoppers came from different players.

The Hilltoppers had to fight from behind the entire game after a four-point explosion from the Cardinals in the second inning. 

WKU showed fight in the third inning, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Sophomore Kennedy Stinson would get the Hilltoppers on the board with a two-run home run. A sacrifice fly from sophomore Charlotte Herron would score the third run.

The Hilltoppers found themselves down 11-3 in the bottom of the fifth in need of a score to prevent a run-rule loss. WKU took advantage of mistakes from Louisville to extend the game after scoring a run, but couldn’t make up the margin.

The Hilltoppers look to snap their four-game losing streak this weekend against rival Middle Tennessee State.