By Holly Weber, Tennessee Tech Sports Information Coordinator
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.—The Tennessee Tech softball team (14-25, 5-9 OVC) closed out their eight-game road stand with a 5-3 loss to Western Kentucky (15-19) on Wednesday evening.
The Hilltoppers scored first in the bottom of the first inning when Hannah Parker singled to the shortstop to take the 1-0 lead. Tech followed up in the top of the second with a Sarah Freels homerun to right field to tie the game at 1-1.
Western Kentucky took the lead again in the bottom of the third when bases loaded with one down brought Parker back to the plate. A walk from Tech pitcher Leigh Thomas drove in one more Western Kentucky run. Then Lexie Norfleet stepped up to the dish and doubled to center field to drive in two more Hilltoppers and extend the Western Kentucky lead to 4-1 before the Golden Eagles made a quick pitching change and senior Hannah Weaver took the circle. Weaver then retired the next batter at the plate and a pop-up to second base got Tech out of the inning.
The Hilltoppers continued to extend their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Brooke Holloway doubled to center field to push their lead to 5-1. The Golden Eagles added one more in the top of the fifth when Jessie Lowery hit a ball to the shortstop to drive in Fry and cut the Western Kentucky lead to 5-2.
Freshman Gabby LaSala added one more in the top of the seventh, when she led off the inning with a solo homerun to left field. However, Western Kentucky held on and retired three of the next five Tech runners to take a 5-3 victory.
Thomas (3-6) suffered the loss going for 2.1 innings and allowing four runs on three hits and striking out three and walking five. Parker (10-11) saw victory in the circle for the Hilltoppers pitching all seven innings and allowing three runs off of eight hits and striking out five and walking one.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday-Sunday when they host OVC in-state rival Tennessee State in a three-game series at the Tech Softball Field.
