Softball earns split on Saturday
UE finishes with win over Tennessee Tech
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – After falling in Saturday’s Hilltopper Spring Fling opener, the University of Evansville softball team rallied to earn a 9-6 win over Tennessee Tech in the nightcap.
Game 1 – Western Kentucky 5, UE 4
Saturday’s opener was a back-and-forth contest. Following a scoreless three frames, it was Evansville getting on the board first in the top half of the fourth. Jess Willsey and Taylor Howe hit back-to-back doubles to score the first run of the game. It did not take long for the Hilltoppers to respond as they plated three runs in the bottom of the frame.
Eliza Piggott cut into the deficit in the fifth. Following a walk by Jenna Donohoo, Piggott launched a 2-run home run to tie the game. Kynadee Warner gave the Purple Aces a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth with an RBI double that scored Niki Bode.
WKU countered with the tying run in the bottom of the inning before UE looked for a rally in the top of the seventh. Keghan Pye reached on a single while Willsey reached on a walk, but the Hilltoppers escaped without allowing the go-ahead run. Western Kentucky rallied in the bottom of the seventh as a leadoff double was followed by an error that scored the winning run.
Kate Ridgway put forth another solid effort in the circle. In six innings, she allowed five runs, none of which were earned. She fanned four batters. Seven players accounted for UE’s seven hits in the contest.
Game 2 – UE 9, Tennessee Tech 6
Evansville led throughout most of the contest before Tennessee Tech rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. A 3-run seventh was the different as the Aces hung on for the 9-6 win.
Jess Willsey got UE started with a 2-run home run in the top of the first. Brooke Voss, who reached on a 1-out single, also scored on the play. The Aces doubled their lead in the second. Kynadee Warner led off with a walk and scored on a single by Eliza Piggott. Voss added a sacrifice fly to make it a 4-0 game.
Tennessee Tech cut into the UE lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs to get within one. It remained a 4-3 game until the top half of the fourth when the Aces added two more runs on Piggott’s 2-run single. Warner and Jenna Donohoo scored on the hit. After scoring a single run in the bottom of the frame, the Golden Eagles rallied to tie the game with two runs in the sixth.
Utilizing a 2-out rally, the Aces scored three runs to retake the lead in the 7th. Morgan Adams had an RBI single before Callie Meinel had a 2-run single to right field to give her team some insurance. Elle Jarrett took care of business in the bottom of the inning to pick up the win. She threw the final three innings with two unearned runs scoring. Gracie Hollingsworth made the start, going four innings while allowing four runs, two being earned. The offense posted nine runs on ten hits with Donohoo and Piggott posting two apiece. Piggott led the team with three RBI.
Sunday’s weekend finale against Kentucky is set to begin at 10 a.m.
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