Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Western Kentucky
@HerdSB Splits with WKU
5/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game One Box (PDF)
Game Two Box (PDF)
Coach Stanton Post Game Video
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Marshall softball grabs the win in game one, 2-1, and falls in game two, 6-4 at WKU (17-29, 8-12 C-USA). The Herd (28-24, 12-11 C-USA) earns a spot in the Conference USA Tournament with the game one victory.
"The task overall for the past two weeks has been to win to get in," Herd Head Coach Shonda Stanton said. "So, I'm proud of our team that we have done that. With that first win based on some of the other results we were able to clinch that."
Game One: Marshall 2, WKU 1
The first game of the series started off as a defensive and pitching battle. Both teams were shut out for the first two innings as the Herd had the only base runner in the second.
"Game one we really didn't have some of the quality at-bats that we needed," Coach Stanton said. "Our speed was able to expose some things early. Dixon did a great job closing out especially late."
Junior pitcher Jordan Dixon (Edmond, Okla.) had command from the beginning and did not allow a hit to the Hilltoppers until the fifth.
Marshall cracked the scoreboard first scoring two runs in the third. Freshman Hayden Ellis (Ashville, Ohio) led off with an infield single. Sophomore Jordan Colliflower (Huntington, W.Va.) came in to run at first and moved to second on a sac bunt. Sophomore Elicia D'Orazio (Clermont, Fla.) slapped a single to the second baseman who overthrew first base and the ball bounced off the Marshall dugout. The error allowed Colliflower to score. On the play D'Orazio took second on the overthrow.
Junior Morgan Zerkle (Milton, W.Va.) came up next and dropped down a bunt single. The fielder overthrew the second baseman covering first and D'Orazio crossed the plate to give the Herd a 2-0 lead.
Marshall was shut out the rest of the way recording just three more hits. Senior Kaelynn Greene (Eastvale, Calif.) put a base hit into centerfield for her 80th hit of the season. Greene, adding to her lengthy list of accomplishments, became the first player in Herd history with two seasons of 80 or more hits. She set the single season record in 2014 with 81 hits that Zerkle surpassed in 2015 with 89. For Greene it was her 293rd career hit.
Dixon and the defense kept making the plays throughout the rest of the game. In the fifth, after two hits and one walk, Dixon recorded two of three strikeouts in the inning to strand all three runners on base.
WKU finally scored a run in the sixth but Dixon got out of the inning again with two more strikeouts. The Hilltoppers stranded two more runners.
Marshall retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to grab the game one win, 2-1. For Dixon it was her 22nd win of the season.
Junior Jordan Dixon was named the Dot Hicks Significant Sticker Award winner for game one. Dixon finished the game with eight strikeouts in the win with four coming at big moments. In the fifth, with bases loaded and one out, Dixon struck out the final two batters and stranded three runners. In the sixth, after the first run of the game for WKU, Dixon struck out the final two batters again to strand two runners and keep the one run lead.
"When she struck out the side in the fifth that was big for the birthday girl," Coach Stanton said of her junior pitcher. "She was very clutch late."
Game Two: WKU 6, Marshall 4
Marshall took the lead into the seventh inning before WKU took the victory with a three-run walk-off home run.
Senior Brittanie Fowler (Avon, Ohio) got the start in the circle and pitched into the fourth inning.
"Fowler did a great job to give us a good start," Coach Stanton said. "I was disappointed that our defense didn't back her up and that we couldn't go her with longer."
Marshall was shut out in the first inning, however senior Kaelynn Greene recorded her 81st hit of the season and then recorded her 49th steal of the season. Greene broke the record for most steals in a single season of 48 set by Morgan Zerkle in 2014.
The Herd jumped on the scoreboard first scoring two runs in the second. Freshman Briana Daiss (Clermont, Fla.) led off with a double to right. Sophomore Jordan Colliflower came in to run and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Katalin Lucas (Agua Dulce, Calif.). Next freshman Hayden Ellis dropped a squeeze bunt that scored Colliflower from third. Ellis advanced to second on an error at the plate attempting to get Colliflower out. Freshman Abigail Estrada (Torrance, Calif.) came in to run for Ellis. Estrada stole third and then crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to right field from sophomore Madi Marshall (St. Albans, W.Va.).
Marshall extended the lead to three in the third as Greene scored off of a double to center by senior Raquel Escareno (Wellington, Colo.). Just before the hit by Escareno, Greene recorded her 50th steal of the season.
"KG getting 50 steals was great," Coach Stanton said. "We have never had anyone do that and that is even with a program where we run a lot. And first player with two seasons of 80 hits, that's incredible."
Jordan Dixon entered the ball game in the fourth with one out and the bases loaded. WKU scored its first run off an error at first. After the single run, Dixon recorded the last two outs to get out of the inning.
The Herd scored one more in the fifth to put the lead back to three.
WKU fought back scoring two in the bottom of the fifth to make it a one run contest. Marshall mustered just one more base runner over the final two innings.
The Hilltoppers put two runners on in the seventh and then WKU's lone senior Brooke Holloway hit a walk-off home run to right.
Marshall and WKU will finish the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. eastern in the rubber match. Fans can tune in live to 88.1 WMUL-FM and online www.marshall.edu/wmul on stream 1 for the coverage.
