Marshall University Athletics
Saturday, April 6
Huntington, W.Va.
1:00 PM
Marshall University
24-12, 7-3
10
vs
2
WKU
26-7, 9-1
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6
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WKU
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Marshall University
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Photo by: Adam Gue
Softball Splits with WKU in Saturday Doubleheader at Dot Hicks Field
4/6/2019 8:39:00 PM | Softball
Rousseau hits grand slam in first game back since Feb. 10
Game One Box Score (PDF)
Game Two Box Score (PDF)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall softball team took game one, 10-2, in six innings but fell in game two, 7-1, to the WKU Lady Toppers Saturday at Dot Hicks Field. Sophomore Rachel Rousseau belted a grand slam in game one in her first action back on the field since Feb. 10 due to injury.
The Thundering Herd is now 24-13 overall and 7-4 in Conference USA. The Lady Toppers sit at 27-7 and 9-1 in conference action. The game one loss for WKU was its first loss in conference play this season.
"I felt pleased with the effort in game one all the way across the board," Herd head coach Megan Smith said. "I think Abbie (Tolbert) did a great job in the circle and our defense played great. The offense really came alive in the sixth and was dominant. That was fun to see.
"Game two didn't come together the way we wanted it to. Now our focus is to come out tomorrow and get back to what was working in game one and have that type of intensity and focus and come out with a series win tomorrow."
Game One: Marshall 10, WKU 2 (6 innings)
In front of a lively crowd of 1,000, Marshall used an explosive sixth inning to hand the Lady Toppers its first loss in conference action in 2019. The Herd scored eight runs in the inning to close out the game in the sixth. Senior Abigail Tolbert went the distance in the circle and earned her 16th win of the season. Tolbert allowed just two hits in six innings of work and recorded four strikeouts.
Rousseau made her return to the lineup after missing the last 30 games due to an injury. She finished 1-for-2 at the plate with a grand slam, the first home run of her career. Senior Hayden Ellis recorded two hits with a triple and a double, and sophomore Aly Harrell smashed her 11th homer of the year. Harrell is now 10th all-time in program history with 22 home runs. Junior Sierra Huerta was hit by a pitch twice.
The game was a pitcher's duel throughout the first three and-a-half innings. Marshall got on the board first with the solo home run from Harrell.
The Herd took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Huerta led off the inning with her first hit-by-pitch of the game. Two batters later and standing at third, Huerta scored easily on a triple to left-center from Ellis.
The Lady Toppers tied the game in the top of the sixth, but the Marshall offense rolled through 11 batters in the bottom of the sixth to grab the game one victory.
Junior Blakely Burch led off with a single to right. Two batters later with one out, Harrell was intentionally walked. Then senior Briana Daiss loaded the bases with a single to left. Huerta stepped up and got plunked for the second time in the game to drive in Burch and keep the bases loaded. Huerta tied the Marshall single-season record for hit-by-pitches with her 16th, but she wasn't done for the day.
Rousseau stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded and attacked the first pitch and crushed it to left for the grand slam. Marshall now led 7-2, but the inning was far from over. Freshman Mya Stevenson kept the inning rolling with a triple down the left field line. Ellis scored Stevenson with a double into the left-center gap to give the Herd a six-run lead. Sophomore Armani Brown then reached on an infield single and took second on an errant throw that allowed Ellis to score. Two batters later, the inning and the game came to an end when senior Hannah Giammarino drove a pitch to the fence in right-center that scored Brown.
Game Two: WKU 7, Marshall 1
The Herd scored first right out of the gate in the first inning, but then struggled offensively throughout the rest of the contest. Junior pitcher Kailee Williamson received the start and pitched all seven innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, six earned and recorded two strikeouts. The Marshall offense mustered just four hits.
Burch led off the bottom of the first with a walk and later scored on a single to center by Harrell. WKU scored three runs in the third, two more in the sixth and added two more runs in the seventh for the win.
Burch reached base three times with a base hit in the seventh, the walk and was hit by a pitch for the 14th time this season. Huerta set the Marshall single-season mark for hit-by-pitches in a season in the second inning with her 17th of the year. It broke the old record of 16 set by Marcena Bertoldo (2007-10) in 2007. Ellis recorded her seventh double of the season in the fifth inning and Brown had a single in the seventh.
The series finale is set for Sunday at 12 p.m.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
Game Two Box Score (PDF)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall softball team took game one, 10-2, in six innings but fell in game two, 7-1, to the WKU Lady Toppers Saturday at Dot Hicks Field. Sophomore Rachel Rousseau belted a grand slam in game one in her first action back on the field since Feb. 10 due to injury.
The Thundering Herd is now 24-13 overall and 7-4 in Conference USA. The Lady Toppers sit at 27-7 and 9-1 in conference action. The game one loss for WKU was its first loss in conference play this season.
"I felt pleased with the effort in game one all the way across the board," Herd head coach Megan Smith said. "I think Abbie (Tolbert) did a great job in the circle and our defense played great. The offense really came alive in the sixth and was dominant. That was fun to see.
"Game two didn't come together the way we wanted it to. Now our focus is to come out tomorrow and get back to what was working in game one and have that type of intensity and focus and come out with a series win tomorrow."
Game One: Marshall 10, WKU 2 (6 innings)
In front of a lively crowd of 1,000, Marshall used an explosive sixth inning to hand the Lady Toppers its first loss in conference action in 2019. The Herd scored eight runs in the inning to close out the game in the sixth. Senior Abigail Tolbert went the distance in the circle and earned her 16th win of the season. Tolbert allowed just two hits in six innings of work and recorded four strikeouts.
Rousseau made her return to the lineup after missing the last 30 games due to an injury. She finished 1-for-2 at the plate with a grand slam, the first home run of her career. Senior Hayden Ellis recorded two hits with a triple and a double, and sophomore Aly Harrell smashed her 11th homer of the year. Harrell is now 10th all-time in program history with 22 home runs. Junior Sierra Huerta was hit by a pitch twice.
The game was a pitcher's duel throughout the first three and-a-half innings. Marshall got on the board first with the solo home run from Harrell.
The Herd took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Huerta led off the inning with her first hit-by-pitch of the game. Two batters later and standing at third, Huerta scored easily on a triple to left-center from Ellis.
The Lady Toppers tied the game in the top of the sixth, but the Marshall offense rolled through 11 batters in the bottom of the sixth to grab the game one victory.
Junior Blakely Burch led off with a single to right. Two batters later with one out, Harrell was intentionally walked. Then senior Briana Daiss loaded the bases with a single to left. Huerta stepped up and got plunked for the second time in the game to drive in Burch and keep the bases loaded. Huerta tied the Marshall single-season record for hit-by-pitches with her 16th, but she wasn't done for the day.
Rousseau stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded and attacked the first pitch and crushed it to left for the grand slam. Marshall now led 7-2, but the inning was far from over. Freshman Mya Stevenson kept the inning rolling with a triple down the left field line. Ellis scored Stevenson with a double into the left-center gap to give the Herd a six-run lead. Sophomore Armani Brown then reached on an infield single and took second on an errant throw that allowed Ellis to score. Two batters later, the inning and the game came to an end when senior Hannah Giammarino drove a pitch to the fence in right-center that scored Brown.
Game Two: WKU 7, Marshall 1
The Herd scored first right out of the gate in the first inning, but then struggled offensively throughout the rest of the contest. Junior pitcher Kailee Williamson received the start and pitched all seven innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, six earned and recorded two strikeouts. The Marshall offense mustered just four hits.
Burch led off the bottom of the first with a walk and later scored on a single to center by Harrell. WKU scored three runs in the third, two more in the sixth and added two more runs in the seventh for the win.
Burch reached base three times with a base hit in the seventh, the walk and was hit by a pitch for the 14th time this season. Huerta set the Marshall single-season mark for hit-by-pitches in a season in the second inning with her 17th of the year. It broke the old record of 16 set by Marcena Bertoldo (2007-10) in 2007. Ellis recorded her seventh double of the season in the fifth inning and Brown had a single in the seventh.
The series finale is set for Sunday at 12 p.m.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
---HerdZone.com---
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tolbert, Abigail (16-10)
L: AIKEY, Kelsey (8-5)
Batting:
HR: SULLIVAN, Kennedy 1
RBI: SULLIVAN, Kennedy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: BLACKFORD, Cassidy 1 ; SULLIVAN, Kennedy 1
HBP: SMITH, Kendall 1 ; CARTER, Paige 1
Batting:
2B: Giammarino, Hannah 1 ; Ellis, Hayden 1
3B: Stevenson, Mya 1 ; Ellis, Hayden 1
HR: Harrell, Aly 1 ; Rousseau, Rachel 1
RBI: Giammarino, Hannah 1 ; Harrell, Aly 1 ; Huerta, Sierra 1 ; Rousseau, Rachel 4 ; Ellis, Hayden 2
SH: Rousseau, Rachel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burch, Blakely 1 ; Harrell, Aly 1 ; Pennington, Rachel 1 ; Daiss, Briana 1 ; Huerta, Sierra 2 ; Rousseau, Rachel 1 ; Estrada, Abigail 1 ; Ellis, Hayden 1 ; Brown, Armani 1
SB: Burch, Blakely 1
CS: Lee, Chloe 1
HBP: Huerta, Sierra 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
RHP/UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballMarshall Softball Class of 2025 Graduates
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Marshall Softball: Kaleea Washington & Brooklyn Ulrich (Post-Radford)
Tuesday, April 22
Marshall Softball: HC Morgan Zerkle, Haleigh Adkins, Paige Maynard (Post-Coastal)
Friday, April 18
Hype and Harmony: the Team Personality Fuels Success #softball
Thursday, April 17