Softball Heads to WKU for Key East Division Series

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Marshall softball team is back on the road to take on the WKU Hilltoppers, April 22-24, for a three-game series. Both teams are tied at the top of the Conference USA East Division standings at 11-4.

The Thundering Herd comes in with an overall record of 29-11 while WKU is 28-8. The games will all be streamed on Facebook through the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network as well as broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM with audio streamed online. Links are below.

Series Details
Marshall Game Notes (PDF)
Friday 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT: Live Stats | Live Stream
Saturday 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT: Live Stats | Live Stream
Sunday 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT: Live Stats | Live Stream
Marshall Radio: 88.1 WMUL-FM, audio online at www.marshall.edu/wmul with Scott Hall play-by-play
Series History: 20 all-time meetings – Marshall leads 11-9
Last Meeting: April 6-7, 2019, in Huntington – Marshall won the series two games to one

Marshall is coming off a 9-1 win in five innings at home over Morehead State. It took a little time for the offense to get rolling, as the game was tied at 1-1, until the Herd scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Senior Mya Stevenson crushed her team-leading 15th home run of the season, and 55th of her career, in the second inning. The Eagles tied the game off a Marshall error in the top of the fourth. In the fifth, after Morehead State retired the first batter, the Herd sent 11 more batters to the plate leading to the eight runs as the Eagles were unable to record another out. Stevenson drove in two runs with a single to right and then sophomore Autumn Owen smashed a three-run homer to right.

Fifth-year senior Katie Adams scored on an error to make it 7-1 and the final two runs crossed on bases loaded walks. Fifth-year senior Aly Harrell was walked for the second time in the inning that scored fellow fifth-year senior Madison Whitaker. Then senior Grace Chelemen was walked that brought home fifth-year senior Armani Brown.

Redshirt junior Sydney Nester earned her 21st win of the year. She allowed just two hits, one walk, one unearned run and struck out three.

As a team, Marshall is batting .328 with Harrell leading the way at .449. The Herd entered the week fourth in the NCAA in doubles per game (1.92) and fifth in total doubles (75). Marshall hit two more doubles on Wednesday against Morehead State to bring its season total to 77, just six away from tying the team single-season record of 83 set in 2019. The Herd has hit 53 homers.

Stevenson (15) and fifth-year senior Saige Pye (14) both have double-digit home runs this season. It is the fifth time in team history that the Herd has had two players with 10 or more homers in the same year. Rachel Folden and Samantha Rodriguez accomplished the feat twice in 2007 and 2008. Alianna Telles and Jazmine Valle did it in 2010 and Stevenson and Harrell teamed up for it in 2019. Marshall has never had three players with 10 or more together in a season. Harrell is closing in with seven in 2022.

The Herd pitching staff boasts a group ERA of 2.47. Nester leads the way with a 1.47 and has 235 strikeouts in 171 innings pitched.

Following the series at WKU, Marshall travels to Radford on Wednesday, April 27, for a single game with the Highlanders. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. The Herd then returns to Dot Hicks Field for its final home games of the season. Marshall takes on UTEP, April 29-May 1, in a three-game series for Senior Weekend.

The Opponent
WKU had its off weekend in C-USA play, April 14-16, and has not played in league action since taking 2-of-3 games at UAB, April 8-10. The Hilltoppers had a game against EKU on April 13 canceled due to weather and then got a 5-0 victory over Lipscomb on Tuesday. Taylor Sanders drove in three runs while Shelby Nunn and Katie Gardner combined for the shutout. Nunn threw the first four innings and allowed just one hit with three strikeouts. Gardner pitched the final three innings with one hit and five strikeouts.

In conference play, WKU began the year winning the series against then No. 24 Charlotte (March 11-13). The Hilltoppers swept UTEP (March 18-20) before losing 2-of-3 to an emotional Florida Atlantic Owls team that had just dealt with the passing of head coach Joan Joyce. WKU rebounded for a sweep over FIU before winning the series against the Blazers.

On offense, the Hilltoppers are batting .300 with Taylor Davis leading with a .430 average. She has 46 hits, 32 runs scored and is tied for the team lead in stolen bases with 16. T.J. Webster also has 16 thefts. Sanders is tops in RBI with 37 and is second in home runs with seven. Bailey Curry has nine homers and 35 RBI.

While the bats are hitting .300, the pitching staff has allowed an opposing batting average of just .219. Nunn has a 1.88 ERA, 15-5 record, 10 complete games and 86 strikeouts in 119 innings. She has tossed four complete-game shutouts and has shared in three others. Gardner has thrown 90.2 innings this season with a 9-3 record, 2.70 ERA and has 95 strikeouts.

Head coach Amy Tudor is in her ninth season leading the Hilltoppers. She has 262 wins at WKU and 479 overall in her coaching career.

Following the series with the Herd, WKU has a single game at home against No. 2 Alabama on April 27 and then returns to league action at Southern Miss, April 29-May 1.

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.

---HerdZone.com---

Softball Heads to WKU for Key East Division Series

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Players Mentioned

Katie Adams

Armani Brown

Grace Chelemen

Aly Harrell

Sydney Nester

Autumn Owen

Saige Pye

Mya Stevenson

Madison Whitaker

Marshall University Athletics