WKU goes 3-1 in South Carolina
Tyra Perry/WKUsports.com
Watching the Lady Toppers score 27 runs in four games en route to a 3-1 start to the season has the WKU coaching staff optimistic about what the team can accomplish this season.
WKU won its season opener on Friday at the Palmetto Classic in Columbia, S.C., against Cleveland State 4-3. Sophomore Emily Rousseau got the complete game win.
Head Coach Tyra Perry said she's been impressed with Rousseau, who has been with the team a short amount of time and has recently recovered from an injury.
"She's maybe only about 60 percent of what she's capable of," Perry said. "But that's understandable considering she joined us in January."
Perry said that Rousseau will help WKU win a lot of games when healthy.
The first game of WKU's Saturday doubleheader saw WKU's offense execute early as junior outfielder Kelsie Mattox hit a two-run home run to kickstart the offense in the first inning against Winthrop.
Though was tied at two in the third inning, junior infielder Mallorie Sulaski had two key RBI while junior catcher Karavin Dew came up with a key hit to give WKU an 8-5 win.
In the second game of the day WKU found themselves tied at four in the bottom of the eighth after a tense back-and-forth with South Carolina that involved several lead changes.
Rousseau, who had already given up the game tying runs early in the inning, couldn't work her way out of trouble and gave up a game-ending single with runners on the corner leading to a 5-4 loss for WKU.
WKU had a dominating bounce-back performance against Tennessee State on Sunday as the mercy rule came into effect in the 5th inning with WKU getting an 8-0 win.
"We got good pitches to hit and made solid contact," Perry said.
Junior Kim Wagner pitched a five-inning no-hitter with seven strike-outs.
WKU will play on Friday at the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tuscon, Ariz.
"We want to continue to build on the positive things that happened this weekend and take it into Arizona," she said.